Zombiegakure
by RockBabi
Summary: Life has just one certainty: that it goes on. No matter what happens or how hard things get, life goes on-but when a strange new disease sweeps the world, even that truth will be tested. Can those who survive continue on? Minor AU. Temp HIATUS.
1. Exposure

**Disclaimer:** I'm not a man, so I think it's pretty clear that I don't own Naruto or any of the characters (well, except for that one guy...). All props go to Masashi Kishimoto. :)

**Summary**: Life has just one certainty: that it goes on. No matter what happens or how hard things get, life goes on-but when a strange new disease sweeps the world, even that truth will be tested. Can those who survive continue on? [In a considerably-less-dramatic-nutshell, this is the Zombie Apocalypse in the Naru-verse. :p]

**AN: **Hey everybody! Alright, this is the First Chapter so I'm going to keep this short and let y'all get to the story (which I hope you enjoy). Before I do though, I just wanted to publicly thank my wonderful Beta: **CrazyInsomaniac** ! You've been such a great help to me!

So, without further ado...

**Zombiegakure**

**Chapter One – Exposure**

Konohagakure – Main Gate

"Kami, I hate gate-duty." Hagane Kotestsu groaned and leaned back in his chair. "It's so boring." As if to prove his point, he yawned widely.

"Oh, come on, it's not all bad." His partner, cheerful as always, replied with a grin. "Just think, you get to spend all day with me!" Kotetsu rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"Just wake me when something actually happens, 'kay Izumo?" he propped his feet on the table, folded his hands over his stomach, and closed his eyes—the picture of comfort. Kamizuki Izumo chuckled softly and turned back to watching the gate.

"Sure thing." He mumbled, not in the least surprised by his partner's actions. Almost every time they had guard duty—which was frequently, ever since they lost the third member of their team—Kotetsu slept and left the 'boring' stuff to Izumo. It didn't really bother him, but sometimes he wondered how Kotetsu ever made Chunin in the first place; he had nearly as little motivation as the Nara boy did.

Unfortunately, it looked like Kotetsu's nap was to be short-lived today. Izumo narrowed his eyes slightly and cocked his head to the side as he looked down the road into Konoha.

What was this? He glanced quickly over the roster; there were an unusually small number of teams outside the village right now, and none of them were supposed to return for at least another few days. He shook off the slight tension that crept into his stomach, telling himself that it was probably just a messenger or visitor and that he wouldn't even need to wake Kotetsu. Instead, he continued to watch as the dark shadow made its way to the village.

He sighed heavily—whoever they were, they were taking forever. He glanced to the top of the wall where other guards were on watch and whistled once. One looked down to him and made a quick hand gesture.

_Two people. _He didn't know anything else yet.

Izumo frowned slightly at that. Two people? That was one too many for a simple messenger, but too few for just about any other mission. So were they civilian then? Yes, that was it. They were probably just civilians…

Again, he shook off a strange sense of unease and stared down the road. They seemed to move at a glacial pace. The closer they got, however, the stranger they seemed. He realized with a start that one of them was leaning heavily on the other, and that seemed to be a large part of why they were moving so slowly. Was one of them hurt? A movement from the wall caught his eye.

_Shinobi. Unknown allegiance._

Shinobi? But there were only two of them… Izumo's eyes widened as his mind made a rapid series of connections: two shinobi, at least one injured, meant they were likely only part of a larger team. The most viable explanation was that they must have been attacked. These were just the survivors…?

_Konohagakure. _

Izumo cursed.

"Kotetsu-kun." He smacked his partner's stomach with the clipboard in his hand, his attention still on the road. "Kotetsu-kun, wake up!"

Konohagakure – Hokage Tower

"Hokage-sama! Hokage-sama!" A distinctly feminine voice shouted through the door, accompanied by a pounding noise. With a nod from the Hokage, the ANBU nearest the door pulled it open. A harried-looking kunoichi with red hair rushed into the room, barely bowing to the Hokage before placing something on the desk in front of her.

"What's this?" Tsunade asked tersely, her voice and expression already distressed.

"A letter from Amegakure, ma'am. It's urgent." The red-haired woman seemed unusually upset, maintaining none of the calm attitude shinobi strived for.

"I presume you know its contents?" She nodded a little guiltily. "And?"

"It's the same as the others. They're closing off the village, no one in or out. They don't have any new information about the problem." Tsunade scowled at her words. This kunoichi wasn't from the code-breaking unit, she was from the hawk tower. The letter had never even been encoded.

"That's the third village today," Shizune said worriedly, glancing out the window and noting how early it still was. "And the fifth village total." Tsunade twined her fingers in front of her chin, still scowling as she thought.

"Thank you, Chiyoko." The kunoichi, clearly dismissed, bowed and backed out of the room. This was getting serious. Tsunade watched as Shizune put another red pin on the board, over Amegakure. She read the names by the four other pins: Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Shimogakure, and Takigakure.

It was getting uncomfortably close to her village. The others in the room—Shizune, and two ANBU members—were watching her anxiously. She had to make a decision, and quickly. Something had to be done, before whatever this was reached Konohagakure.

"Send for Nara Shikamaru. And for the time being, heighten border security. Assign a medic-nin at every gate."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." And then they were gone.

Konohagakure Main Gate

The tension was building in the air as they waited on the shinobi on the road to finally reach the gate. They had already sent for a medical team. Even Kotetsu, who had responded none too kindly to Izumo's awakening, was now leaned forward in his seat, watching the road. He was continually surveying the path as a whole, making sure the two in plain sight were not simply a diversion to allow someone else to sneak inside the village.

Izumo was standing in front of the little hut, his hand on the counter. His eyes were glued to the pair, who were making slow progress. The closer they came, the younger Kotetsu realized they were.

These had to be Genin, which significantly narrowed the list of teams they could be from. Only three teams containing Genin were outside the village at that moment, according to the roster: Team Makoto, Team Ebisu, and Team Yoshi. Two were just rookie teams, but all three of the Jonin team leaders were of Special-Jonin Rank.

What could possibly have happened that only these two would make it back?

A short, soft whistle sounded, drawing Kotetsu's attention to the shinobi on the wall. They had identified the two Genin.

_Moegi._

_Sarutobi Konohamaru._

**Kumogakure – Raikage Tower**

Days since Outbreak: 1

"It's panic in the streets, sir." The Jonin's voice was breathless and rough with emotion. "People are… are…" As if to explain what he could not vocalize, a shrill scream sounded from the street below the window.

"I see." And he did. The Raikage understood exactly what was going on in the village. Things were going precisely as they had predicted they would. Exactly like he had feared. "How many have we lost?"

"It's impossible to say, sir." The Raikage, who had long been the supporting pillar of Kumogakure, felt himself begin to crack at those words. How could things have gotten so bad so quickly? It had only been a day since the first case… As he sighed, he looked even older than he really was.

"And what do you know of the status of the village? What could you see coming here?" The Jonin had to stop and take a ragged, deep breath before he could speak; it was that bad out there.

"The East Quarter is completely lost." The Raikage nodded; he'd heard as much from the few other reports. "And the North Quarter is almost gone—literally, someone must have used Paper Bombs. I can't say anything about the South or West Quarters, but if the Tower Center is anything to judge by…" he trailed off, allowing the sounds of the panic outside to fill the room.

"The North Quarter?" The Raikage asked, worry tingeing his voice.

"Hai." He said it as though he were admitting a grave sin.

"And the Wall? The Gate?"

"The Gate itself is still secure. The Wall…" he paused and took another deep breath. "The Wall has sustained significant damage. It's been blown through in multiple areas."

The Raikage cursed, startling the Jonin. The crack in Kumogakure's pillar deepened. He had to do something… It was time for Plan B.

"Send the hawk. I want all the Shinobi in the village in this tower, as soon as possible. They have one hour." The Jonin's eyes widened, the dried blood on his forehead cracking and flaking to the floor.

"H-hai, Raikage-sama."

**Konohagakure Main Gate**

The medic-nin arrived just as the pair was reaching the gate. Two of the guards from the wall had already left their positions to help the Honorable Grandson and his teammate. Of the two, he looked to be the worse off.

"What the hell took you so long?" Kotetsu demanded, now standing in front of the hut with his partner. "They're over there!" he pointed to the gate, and all but one of the medic-nin rushed to them.

"Where are the gate guards?" The one who lingered asked, his tone official.

"Right here." Kotetsu answered harshly, pulling Izumo's arm and turning him to face the medic-nin.

"Wha—Kotetsu! What are you—?" He caught himself and cut off his own angry remark when he saw the other medic. "What do you want? They need your help!"

"I'm not here with that team." He explained quickly. "Hokage-sama sent me herself, to stay at the gate. Security is being heightened around the village; I'm to inspect anyone who tries to come through this gate. If they're not in perfect health, they don't get in."

The gate guards shared a confused glance. "What?" they demanded in unison.

"What do you mean they 'don't get in'?" Kotetsu's voice was angry now.

"Anyone I don't clear is to be immediately quarantined _outside_ the gate. Hokage's orders. I'm sorry, I don't know anything else." He brushed past them then, moving toward the two who had just crossed under the gate. There was already a flurry of activity from the medics, and they could hear Moegi's distraught voice.

"Just what the hell is going on, anyway?" Izumo asked through gritted teeth, also angry.

"I don't know, Izumo-kun. But as soon as we're done here, I'm damn well going to find out."

Konohagakure – Hokage Tower

"As ordered, the highest-ranking medic-nin in the village—after yourself and Haruno-san—are now in position at the gates to the village." The Jonin knelt in front of Tsunade's desk, his hand on the floor and head bowed respectfully. She was visibly relieved, sighing deeply and allowing her shoulders to slump slightly.

"No problems, I take it?" She asked.

"None so far ma'am, although the Main Gate has yet to check in. We expect a report soon."

"Good. I'd like to see it as soon as it comes in."

"Of course, Hokage-sama."

"Dismissed." There was a brief flicker, and he was gone. From behind her chair, Tsunade heard Shizune sigh loudly in relief.

"We're safe." She commented, an unmistakably happy tone to her voice.

"For now." Shikamaru replied, his voice betraying his lingering fears. His sentiments were met with silence, and a disapproving glare from Shizune. "I still think we should close off the village, Hokage-sama. If our information is correct, whatever this is, is getting closer to the village." His eyes flicked quickly to the map, where a new pin had been added: Kusogakure. "Once it gets in, we may not be able to contain it. We should close the gates before it has a chance to get in at all."

But even as he was speaking, it was obvious that he didn't really agree with everything he was saying. Of course, his plan _was_ the logical one, and the one with the greatest potential to save the highest number of lives, but it carried its own dangers.

Unfortunately, no matter what plan they chose there was still one big problem: the teams outside the village. How many had already been exposed to this… this… whatever it was? If they allowed them back in the gates, they would be endangering the whole village. But what if they hadn't been exposed and they shut the gates?

If they didn't make it back to the village before the gates were shut—because deep down, he knew it was only a matter of time—what would they do? What _could_ they do?

"I understand, Shikamaru." Tsunade replied, her voice steady but weary. It was clear she was thinking along the same lines. "I've taken your concerns into consideration, trust me, but until we have further information I'm not going to abandon our men in the field." Shizune looked upset, as though she couldn't decide which side of the issue she was on.

"Hokage-sama!" The Jonin from earlier ran into the room, stopping any reply from Shikamaru or Shizune. He looked both confused and shocked, and was completely breathless. "Hokage-sama… urgent news!"

"What is it?" She snapped, fear laced beneath the hard voice.

"The report.… We have a… situation…" he stopped, looking uncharacteristically upset for one of the village's top security advisors. No one in the room liked where this was going.

"Where, Kamizuki-san?" She demanded loudly.

"At the Main Gate, ma'am."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>So, what did you think? Personally, I'm having a BLAST writing it... It's my first multi-chapter and my first (published) _Naruto_ fanfic. How did I do? In other words: reviews would be lovely! After all, if I don't get any criticism how can I improve?

**Coming Soon**: Chapter Two - Beginning

See ya there! ;)


	2. Beginning

**Disclaimer: **Are these things really so necessary...? Oh well, here we go: I don't own Naruto (Sadly...) or the characters. (Actually, I do have a few minor OCs in here, but you'll know who they are, so I won't point 'em out here.)

**AN: **So first off, I just want to say: Wow! Three reviews already? I feel all warm and bubbly inside now! :p Secondly... there is no 'secondly'. On to the Apocalypse! :D

**Chapter Two – Beginning**

Konohagakure Hospital

0:28 Hours since Exposure

"Where is she?" Tsunade demanded loudly, rushing into the hospital.

"This way, ma'am." A nurse called from one of the off-shooting hallways, where she had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Hokage. She frantically gestured towards herself and began to run down the hall towards the Emergency Unit. Shizune and Shikamaru were close behind them.

"Status?" Tsunade managed to keep her voice calm and official, despite the desperation of the situation and the growing knot in the pit of her stomach.

"It's hard to tell, she's completely hysterical and won't let us near her. We've had to restrain her."

"Has she said anything?" A strange look fell across the nurse's face as she stopped at the end of the hall. They were outside a set of double doors, from which a large commotion was coming.

"It's difficult to explain, ma'am. You should see for yourself." She chewed her lip nervously, and stepped away from the door. Tsunade nodded to Shizune and they both rushed through the door, leaving Shikamaru and the nurse alone in the hall. The nurse watched him with a wary eye.

"What's going on in there?" he asked.

"I— I have to get back to work." She stammered, startled that he had spoken to her, and hurriedly walked away.

With a frustrated sigh, Shikamaru leaned against the wall. This was bad. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the same thing that had happened to the other villages. He was sure it was in the civilian villages as well, they just hadn't heard about it yet because of their lack of direct communications with the civilian leaders.

He also had no doubt that this was going to become an epidemic–if it wasn't already. He hated to even think it, but this 'incident' only strengthened his half-hearted belief that the best thing to do for the village was to close the gates. They had to cut themselves off from the rest of the world until whatever this was passed.

The double doors opened with a bang and a stream of people rushed through them, all with similar expressions of confusion and fear. Shikamaru recognized this as probably his only opportunity to get some information without having to wait on Tsunade.

"Excuse me," he caught a passing nurse's attention, "but can you tell me what's going on?" She looked surprised, then hesitant.

"W-we're not supposed to talk to anyone about this…"

"My name's Nara Shikamaru," He said with a brief attempt at a smile "and I'm the exception to that rule. I'm one of the Hokage's personal advisors." She bit her lip, clearly nervous, and looked over her shoulder. When the last of the others had disappeared from view she leaned towards him.

"This is all just a bunch of rumors, understand? Nothing has been verified; it's all just the word of the few who were there."

Shikamaru nodded "Please, go on."

Konohagakure Hospital – Emergency Unit

0:30 Hours since Exposure

The room was in a state of complete chaos. The nurses were rushing around; trying to avoid the table the patient was on as much as possible while still tending to her. Haruno Sakura, who was the head doctor in the room, was explaining to Tsunade and Shizune all she knew about what had happened and what was going on with Moegi; though Tsunade was more alarmed by how Sakura _looked _than by what she was actually saying. Tsunade had trained this kunoichi herself, had put her through hell and back to make her what she was today. And in all that time, she had never seen Sakura look so frightened.

As soon as Sakura was done with the report, Tsunade went to work. The first thing she did was order all personnel she considered extraneous from the room. In the end, there was only herself, Shizune, Sakura, and one of the ANBU from the wall. He did his best to stay out of the way and answer her questions, but for the most part she ignored him anyway. Her focus was on the orange-haired kunoichi strapped to the table. Without hesitating, she walked up to the thrashing young woman.

"Tsunade-sama, be careful!" Sakura warned, "She's been trying to bite anyone who comes near her." Tsunade frowned, reminded of the letter from Kusogakure that she had just received. It had claimed that the citizens of the village had all gone mad, and were eating one another. They had been caught off-guard, and the infection—that's what they were calling it, an infection—had spread out of control.

They were locking down the entire village, and had warned her not to allow any of her people to go there until she heard from them again. They warned her that if the infection reached them, she should avoid getting bitten at all costs.

What the hell was going on out there?

What the hell was going on _here_?

**Kumogakure – Raikage Tower**

**Days since Outbreak: 1**

"Raikage-sama." The Jonin bowed his head, kneeling in front of the old man. "The hour you allowed has elapsed. Those assembled in this room are all that have responded." The Raikage nodded grimly as he looked around at the other kneeling shinobi. It was a very small number.

"Please, Raikage-sama!" a woman called from the back of the group, "Allow more time! I'm sure there are other survivors out there!" he took in her appearance with great sadness. She was covered in blood and her uniform was torn in several places, but that was not what caught his attention. After all, the work of the shinobi often left one stained with the blood of another.

No, what he noticed was her face. The face of this strong kunoichi was etched with panic. Her eyes held a fear that he had not seen in the eyes of his people in many years, since the end of the last war. The fear that only comes from watching your comrades fall beside you.

She looked like everyone else in the group.

"I'm sorry." He said at last, his voice soft and thick with emotion. "But I'm afraid we can wait no longer." The sounds of screaming and fighting had given way to a continuous, low groaning noise. If there _were_ other survivors, they weren't anywhere near the Tower. And they didn't stand a chance of getting there, either.

"I apologize, but I'm going to have to ask you all to refresh my memory. Please state your name and rank." For a moment they looked around at one another, wondering who was going to start. At last the Jonin who had reported the rupture in the wall swallowed loudly and opened his mouth.

"Hashamoto Naoki, sir. Jonin." The ice was broken now, but the chilling atmosphere of the room remained.

"Hanabusa Noboru, Genin." A young man who looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old spoke up next. From him, they went down the short line of remaining shinobi.

"Endo Sayuri, Chuunin."

"Endo Kin." The Raikage's eyebrow lifted slightly. "I haven't graduated the Academy yet." The small boy explained quickly with a hint of embarrassment. The Raikage smiled lightly.

"Ito Fuyuki, Jonin." It was the woman who had called out earlier.

A silence settled over them then; no one was quite sure what to say. They weren't even sure what to think. They had never seen anything like this before. Even the Raikage himself had never seen this level of madness before, this much death in one place.

Had anyone?

Konohagakure Hospital – Emergency Unit

0:34 Hours since Exposure

"Quiet!" Tsunade snapped, cutting off the frantic conversation between Shizune and Sakura. Immediately the room fell silent, apart from the struggling girl on the table.

The two women watched the Hokage as she watched the girl, the groaning of the leather and metal restraints filling their ears in a way that was sure to haunt them.

For a long while, there was no discernable change in her. But then, just as Tsunade was ready to give up, her behavior began to change ever-so-slightly. The sound of the restraints began to lessen. All eyes went to Moegi.

The longer the room remained silent, the calmer she became. After nearly ten minutes, she was completely still.

"From here on," Tsunade's voice was grave, barely a whisper, but immediately Moegi turned to it and began to struggle again, although not as violently as she had earlier, "we operate in silence." The other three nodded.

Because of her thrashing, the nurses hadn't been able to get in accurate readings or hook up any of the monitors. That was the first thing they had to do. Tsunade couldn't do anything without checking her vitals.

With a short, effective series of hand gestures, she sent Sakura around to the other side of the table and Shizune to get the necessary supplies. Moving slowly, Sakura and Tsunade edged closer to Moegi.

The Genin's eyes were blank and unmoving, as though she were blind. Tsunade motioned for her student to watch Moegi as she carefully held up a finger about a foot over her face. She moved her hand back and forth several times but the girl's eyes never focused, never followed her hand. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

_Blind?_ She signed. Tsunade pursed her lips. Everything about this girl seemed so… dead. In fact, looking at her now—still and silent—she could almost believe that she _was_ dead. Her eyes were glassy and she wasn't blinking, her chest wasn't moving, and her skin had an unsettling paleness to it. She had a large wound on her shoulder that Tsunade was sure should have killed her. And yet, not five minutes ago, this girl had been very much alive. What on earth were they dealing with?

Tsunade took a deep breath to steady herself and put her fingers on Moegi's wrist. The girl's fingers began contracting sporadically , but otherwise she showed no sign of feeling the touch. A confused look spread across the Hokage's face and she nodded to Sakura, silently telling her to grab her other wrist.

Sakura swallowed nervously but did as she was told. The girl reacted exactly as she had for Tsunade and after a moment, Sakura looked just as confused as her mentor.

Moegi had no pulse.

Konohagakure Morgue

0:40 Hours since Exposure

Two young assistant medics rolled the last gurney into place, unusually somber. Quietly, they walked down the row of identical black bags and checked all of the charts and nametags. Everything was where it should be.

Yukiko sighed deeply when she read the last nametag, closing her eyes and swallowing against the lump in her throat.

"I know this is our job, but… I don't know if I can do this anymore." She whispered faintly.

"I know what you mean." Her partner answered, also quiet. He was having trouble believing this was all happening. True, he'd worked in the morgue for several months now and had seen an unfortunate number of bodies, but he had never seen so many at the same time.

"You've been here longer than I have, Kichiro. Have you ever seen… well, you know?" He was watching her carefully, unsure of what to say. Her fingers were still wrapped around the last nametag, her shoulders trembling slightly. He wondered if she knew the person in the bag.

"No, Yuki. I've never seen this many." He watched as she continued to stare down at the small piece of plastic for another few moments. "Come on," he said at last, putting his hand gently over hers "let's get out of here." She looked up at him with misty eyes.

"Yeah." She whispered after a moment. "This place is giving me the creeps." He offered a weak smile and led the way to the double doors. She looked at the bag one more time, putting her hand on the plastic gently.

"Goodbye, Konohamaru-kun." She whispered.

They were locking the doors behind them when they heard it; a strange moaning sort of noise coming from behind them. Yukiko's breath hitched and they looked at one another questioningly. The moaning was joined by a rustling sound, causing them to look back through the window into the body room.

"Oh my gods!" she cried, taking an instinctual step backwards. One of the bags was moving. Kichiro cursed.

"He's alive! How the hell did they mess that up?" he fumbled quickly with the key ring, searching for the right one again.

"Wait!" she practically screamed as he put the key back in the lock.

"What?"

"You're going back in there? He was dead two minutes ago!"

"Obviously not!" he twisted the key and she heard the bolt slide open.

"I've seen horror movies that start this way…" she groaned to herself as he opened the door and rushed back into the room. From behind the door, she watched through the window as he ran to the bag that was moving. Without hesitating, he grabbed the zipper-pull and yanked it down.

The body on the gurney sat up, and Yukiko knew immediately that something was wrong. There was a large chunk of his face missing, near his mouth. His clothes—she thought she recognized it as a shinobi uniform, though it wasn't ANBU—were covered in gore. His movements were choppy and uncoordinated as he reached out to Kichiro. Her colleague stepped backwards, and she didn't blame him. She was fighting the urge to run herself, and she was on the other side of the door.

She forced herself to stay where she was and watched as the man she thought had been dead grabbed Kichiro's shoulders. She heard her partner and friend speaking quickly, trying to make the man let go of him.

She heard him scream loudly when the man jerked forward and bit his neck.

Something inside her snapped and Yukiko stopped fighting herself, running as fast as her legs would carry her. In a heartbeat she was at Kichiro's side, trying to pull the deranged man off him. She was screaming profanities at the man, somewhat incoherently, and yanking at his arm.

The man let go of Kichiro surprisingly easily, but Yukiko was nearly sick as she saw the large piece of flesh in his jaws. Her partner collapsed to the floor, a pool of dark red spreading around him.

"KICHIRO!" She screamed, unbidden tears sliding down her cheeks, and tried to move towards him. It took her shocked brain several moments to realize that she was being held.

The rush of fear she had been feeling for Kichiro suddenly turned into a sense of terror for herself, settling like ice in her stomach.

In that moment, she realized she was going to die.

"No, no, no…" she was repeating the word as though it would somehow save her. The man lurched forward and her shoulder erupted in pain. She wasn't sure if the screaming was all in her head or real. Her hands scrambled across the counter for something she could use against him, but they never found anything. Blackness began to form at the edge of her vision. Vainly, she pushed at him, trying to get him off of her. But even as she fought, she could feel the strength leaving her muscles.

The last thing she saw before the blackness took her was Kichiro slowly rising to his feet.

Konohagakure Hospital – Emergency Unit

0:47 Hours since Exposure

Shizune returned to the room to find Sakura and the Hokage prodding the kunoichi on the table as though she were a paralysis patient, which confused her because anyone could see that girl was _not_ paralyzed.

As quietly as she could, she laid the instruments she had returned with on a small metal tray. Instantly, the orange-haired girl turned toward the clinking sound. Her small body bucked beneath the restraints, causing Tsunade to turn and glare at her assistant. Shizune drew back instantly, well acquainted with the Hokage's short temper.

Checking her anger, Tsunade returned her attention to Sakura and Moegi. The ANBU leaning up against the wall—Shizune had nearly forgotten he was there—turned to the dark haired woman but Shizune couldn't tell if he was upset or understanding. In that moment, she realized just how much she hated those masks. A series of hand signs from Sakura drew her attention back to the three kunoichi.

Sakura placed her glowing hands over Moegi, trying to understand how much damage her body had sustained. What she felt made her gasp loudly, instantly drawing the Genin's attention. "Impossible…" she breathed. Moegi was snapping her teeth together, filling the room with an unnerving clicking noise. Tsunade glared at her pointedly and Sakura closed her mouth quickly and resorted to hand signals.

_No chakra._ Tsunade's head tilted slightly in confusion. Sakura nodded to reinforce what she had found. For a long while they did nothing as Tsunade thought. Slowly, the girl quieted and the clicking stopped.

Everything about this girl said that she was dead. She had no pulse. She couldn't see. She couldn't feel them. Tsunade-sama was beginning to think that she was brain-dead as well. Her movements, though powerful, were uncoordinated and choppy indicating poor motor control. She didn't even have a chakra flow, which eliminated the possibility of being under a reanimation jutsu.

She was like a… a zombie or something, like this was a bad horror movie. The Hokage was reminded of the letters she had been receiving since yesterday afternoon.

_What happened to you?_ Tsunade reached out and lightly placed her hand softly on Moegi's cheek, confident that the unfortunate shinobi could not feel her.

The girl's head snapped to the side so fast that even the ANBU shinobi could hear the bones crack. Sakura screamed as her teeth closed around Tsunade's forearm.

"Dammit!" the Hokage cried, reflexively punching Moegi's face. Blood sprayed across the three kunoichi as the young girl opened her jaws and Tsunade wrenched her hand away.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried, approaching her quickly, a handful of gauze clutched in her fingers.

"Stay away!" Tsunade snapped, stepping back quickly. Shizune stopped moving, surprised. The Hokage snatched the gauze and shoved it against the circle of bleeding teeth marks, a burning sensation in her arm. "We don't know how the infection is spread, don't come near me." she said loudly, needing to be heard over the girl on the table, who was in a frenzy. Tsunade was watching her with disbelieving eyes, a thrill of something remarkably similar to fear coursing through her.

"_Whatever you do, do _not_ get bitten!" _That was the common denominator in the letters: being bitten by an infected person was a death warrant.

On an instinctual level, she knew what came next. The same thing that had happened to all the other villages. She was out of options. Cursing herself, she realized that she should have listened to the others.

"Hokage-sama?" The anxious voice of the ANBU shinobi cut through her frightened thoughts, snapping her back to her reality. _I am the Hokage of this village;_ she told herself _I have a duty to protect them. I will _not_ give up now._ She swallowed against the lump in her throat, shutting down her emotions as she gave an order that twisted her stomach.

"Kill her." Sakura and Shizune both gasped. The ANBU had seen everything, though. He had been at the gate, he knew what was coming.

Without hesitating, he smoothly pulled the short sword from its sheath and brought it down on Moegi's neck in one closed her eyes, refusing to watch, and visibly winced when a dull _thunk_ resounded through the room.

"And seal the gates." She added, her voice quivering at what she was being forced to do. "As of right now, Konohagakure is quarantined."

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Don't forget to review, please! ;)

**Coming Soon: **Chapter Three - Messenger

Sneak Peak: _"Tsunade clenched her teeth as another stab of pain stole through her arm. No matter how many ways she thought about it, no matter how many different plans she tried in her mind, this was bad. She could feel the infection spreading in her body... She could feel it killing her, a little more every second..."_


	3. Messenger

**Disclaimer: **Last time I checked, I still wasn't a man, which makes it kind of hard for me to be Masashi Kishimoto. As such, I don't own _Naruto_ (even if I wish I did...). I have a couple of OCs thrown in this chapter though. :)

**AN:** I am SO sorry this took so long! I know it's not really an excuse, but class got super intense for a while there. And I'll admit, this chapter gave me a little trouble... I've already written a few chapters ahead though (they're in the process of being Beta-edited right now), so hopefully this won't happen again. With a little luck, I'll have Ch.4 up by next week, to make up for this huge gap. Anyway, I don't wanna make you wait any longer for this, so I'm gonna shut up now. :)

Once again, thanks to my wonderful Beta, **CrazyInsomaniac!**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Messenger <strong>

Konohagakure – Apartment of Hatake Kakashi

1:25 Hours since Exposure

Hatake Kakashi braced his hands on the sides of his bathroom sink, leaning on it heavily as he looked at his reflection in the steam-covered mirror. He sighed loudly. He hadn't meant to sleep so late—he almost never slept in—but he hadn't gotten to sleep until early that morning.

That was another thing he hadn't meant to do, but he just couldn't help it; Naruto had managed to get him the newest installment in _Make-out Paradise _a week early! Who would have guessed when that loud, unpredictable knuckle-head had first been assigned to his team, that he would be so useful?

Suddenly sensing a fast-moving chakra signature, Kakashi snapped out of his sleep-deprived stupor quickly, pulling his mask up to cover his face. Not a moment later, there was a sharp tapping at his window. He looked down at the towel wrapped around his hips briefly, then decided whoever it was would just have to deal with it. Shaking the excess water out of his hair, he walked to the window and opened it up for the lone ANBU shinobi balancing on the balcony rail.

"Hatake Kakashi." From his tone, he knew instantly that something was happening. Something big. He nodded once.

"The Hokage wishes to see you immediately, sir."

"Hai." The ANBU member disappeared as quickly as he had come. Barely five minutes later, Kakashi was in his full gear and locking the door of his apartment, all thoughts of his new book gone.

Konohagakure Southern Gate

1:40 Hours since Exposure

Yamanaka Ino sighed heavily and slumped forward in her chair, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. This was officially the strangest, most boring day of her life. First, she had been pulled from the flower shop—literally—and told that the Hokage had given her a special assignment. Then, she had been sent to the least-used gate in the entire village and told not to let anyone through who showed any signs of illness or injury. _Easy enough, _she thought, _since _no one _comes through this damn gate anyway. _

And as if that wasn't bad enough, the gate guards were two Chuunin even older than Hagane and Kamizuki who apparently had an allergy to talking. _This sucks…_ she complained to herself.

"Hey, Ino!" her countenance brightened instantly when she heard the familiar voice.

"Chouji!" she sat up straighter, smiling brightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you some lunch." For a brief moment, Ino was touched by his concern. That was short lived, though, and she was immediately suspicious; as much as she loved her teammates, it was quite out of character for either of them to be so thoughtful—particularly Chouji.

"Really?" the surprise was evident in her voice.

"Well, yeah. I heard you were put on a special assignment down here and I thought you might like some company." Again, she was touched.

"Thanks, Chouji!" She smiled and indicated for him to sit by her. He obeyed, like he usually did, and handed her a bento box. She hadn't realized she was all that hungry until she opened the box and saw the food.

"So what's up?" he asked around a mouthful of rice.

"You know you shouldn't talk with your mouth full, it's rude." Her scolding had become second nature to her by now, and she didn't even fully realize she was saying it as she pulled apart a pair of chopsticks. Fortunately, the members of her team had become accustomed to it as well and Chouji just rolled his eyes and repeated the question with a clear mouth.

"Ugh, today has been the most boring day of my life!" Her complaints were another thing the team was used to. "I don't know that anyone's been through this gate in a hundred years, what's the point of guarding it?"

"Wait, they have you here as another gate guard?" Chouji looked confused.

"Well, sort of. I'm supposed to be making sure nobody sick tries to come through the gate." She explained.

"Why?"

"I have no idea!"

"Do you think maybe there's something going on outside the village? Kakashi-sensei didn't show up this morning, and there have been a lot of messenger hawks up today..." Ino was a little surprised by how serious he was. Chouji almost never paid attention to the hawks, or anything else that wasn't food for that matter.

"Well if there was, why wouldn't Tsunade-sama have told us?" She seemed a little hurt at the implication that Tsunade would keep something from her.

"I don't know. But Shikamaru has been in meetings with the Hokage all morning. He seemed pretty worried when I saw him at the hospital a while ago. He's the one that told me you were here." Ino's curiosity was piqued. How on earth would Shikamaru have known she was here?

Unless, of course, he was the one that put her here, acting as advisor for Tsunade. If they were afraid of something on the outside of the village, it suddenly made sense that she was here, at the least-used gate in the village.

Was Shikamaru trying to protect her, in his own indirect kind of way? And if so, what were they so afraid of?

"Yamanaka Ino." It was neither question nor statement, and the voice was completely impartial; she knew before she even looked up that it was a member of the ANBU. Who else could have snuck up like that, without her sensing them at all?

"Yes?" she nearly dropped her half-eaten lunch when she looked up and saw how many of them there were. What on earth was going on, that there was suddenly an extra half-dozen ANBU members at _this _gate?

"The Hokage has requested that you come see her immediately." His tone, however, implied that it wasn't a request.

"Oh, uh…" she stood up and put the bento box on the chair, a little mournfully. "Of course. Right away, sir."

"Akimichi Chouji." He turned to her companion. "You have also been summoned."

"Yes, sir." He answered immediately, placing his empty bento box on the guard's table.

"Excuse me," Ino cut in just as the man turned to the guards. "You wouldn't happen to know what this is all about, do you?"

"No, Yamanaka-san. All I know is that it's very urgent."

"Oh." Ino looked a little stunned by the whole situation.

"I'm sure it's nothing major, Ino." Chouji cut it, "But we probably don't want to keep her waiting." His voice was a little higher than normal, and she remembered that—like many people in the village—he was afraid of the Hokage. Ino shook her head lightly to clear it.

"No, we probably shouldn't." The ANBU shinobi nodded to them both before moving toward the table with the gate guards. The rest of his team had already disappeared. Ino and Chouji shared a curious look before turning in the direction of Hokage Tower.

Yes, this was definitely the strangest day of Ino's life. But it wasn't going to be the most boring.

Konohagakure Main Gate

1:30 Hours since Exposure

"What the hell happened here?" Inuzuka Kiba asked slowly, to no one in particular. Beside him, Akamaru whined. Hyuuga Hinata, who was walking on the other side of Akamaru, gasped loudly. They were staring at the road, where the dirt was thick and dark. There was the unmistakable tangy smell of blood in the air. The area was filled with shinobi, including several medics and ANBU.

"Was there an attack?" Yuhi Kurenai's voice was also quiet and contemplative. "But then, why wouldn't we know?"

"I don't think so, Kurenai-sensei." Aburame Shino's even, monotone voice sounded from behind her. "If there was an attack, we would have been mobilized." For a moment, they just stared at the chaotic scene, trying to make sense of it. Hinata's eyes drifted from the dark stain on the ground to the wall—where there was another stain—to behind the Guard Hut. She thought she could just see someone in the shadows there.

Were there other ANBU present that they couldn't—or weren't supposed to—see?

"I told you that's all I know!" a familiar voice cried out from behind the hut, cracking slightly. The person she thought might have been ANBU stepped out of the shadows, clearly upset. She recognized him immediately.

Hagane Kotetsu looked as though he had been through hell. His clothes had the same dark stains on them that the road and Wall did, and his face was splattered with russet drops. His jaw was set angrily, but she could see how bloodshot his eyes were even from here.

Had he been crying? As long as she had known him, she had never seen him look so agitated. And she had never seen him without Izumo. Someone else stepped out of the shadow, speaking to him in low tones. Kotetsu looked ready to break down at any moment.

Hinata took an instinctual step towards him but was stopped by a blur running past her, nearly knocking her off her feet. She gave a small, startled cry as Kiba reached out and caught her shoulders reflexively. Several other blurs passed through and around their group, making Kiba yell angrily.

"Th-thank-you, Kiba-kun." He just grunted in response. Their team watched confusedly as the blurs stopped in front of the Guard Hut; they were six additional ANBU.

"What the hell?" Kiba growled, looking ready to hit someone. The ANBU pointedly ignored him, causing a vein to pop out on his forehead.

"Kiba!" Kurenai's voice was stern, stopping him from doing something rash. He grumbled as he looked back at her but closed his mouth anyway. Akamaru growled quietly, earning a pat on the head from Kiba. "Come on, we still have our orders."

"Tch." Kiba scoffed, readjusting the pack on his back. Hinata and Shino simply nodded. They walked slowly down the road, giving as wide a berth as was possible to the blood stain. They were only three or four meters away from the gate when they heard a loud boom, followed by a creaking noise.

"What?" Kiba and Kurenai cried out in unison. All four members of their team physically reeled as they watched the heavy wooden gates begin to close in front of them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kiba yelled, angry. He rounded on the Guard Hut, ready to pound someone.

"Team Kurenai?" One of the ANBU members stepped toward them, his voice slightly muffled by the mask on his face. Kurenai nodded.

"Yuhi Kurenai, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata-sama?" Hinata blushed slightly at the epithet, but answered "Hai." with a steady voice exactly like the rest of her team. "You're mission has been called off."

"Why?" Kurenai was quickly becoming as frustrated as the younger members of her team.

"The village is being quarantined, ma'am, no one in or out. The Hokage has ordered all missions outside the village canceled. Furthermore, she's requested for you all to meet with her immediately." The Chuunin in the group looked at one another confusedly.

Taking their silence to mean they understood, the ANBU turned around to the Guard Hut again. Over his shoulder, Hinata could see Kotetsu sitting on the ground; his back against the side of the hut. His arm was rested on his knee, his head turned away from the road. Hinata thought she could just see his shoulders shaking slightly. Again, she was tempted to go to him.

"Hagane Kotetsu?" Even from where she was standing, Hinata could hear his angry scoff.

"What?" he practically growled.

"The Hokage wishes to see you as well."

Konohagakure – outside Ichiraku Ramen Shop

1:35 Hours since Exposure

Uzumaki Naruto was just leaving Ichiraku's when he heard a familiar voice call his name. His good mood was gone instantly, replaced by the annoyance that always accompanied his newest teammate.

"Oh, hey Sai. What's up?" he gave a false smile, hoping Sai would just make some ridiculous, socially-clueless remark and be on his way.

"Have you seen Sakura today?" Naruto was mildly caught off-guard. Sai was being… normal?

"Uhm…" he scratched his head, thinking back to the last time he had seen his pink-haired teammate. "I haven't seen Sakura-chan since we finished training yesterday." Sai looked perplexed, not even keeping up the fake smile he wore nearly all day. "Have you tried the hospital? She may be helping out there. Or she could be with Tsunade-baa-chan."

"I already went to the hospital, they said she left already. I suppose she could be with the Hokage though…" He thought for a moment then flashed his cheesy smile. "I guess I'll check there. Goodbye, Naruto." He turned around and began walking down the road, leaving Naruto standing alone and looking confused.

For a moment, he watched Sai leave, wondering if he had really just had a normal conversation with him or if he had imagined it all. Maybe their new training regimen had left him more exhausted than he had thought…

He was turning to walk away when a flash of movement caught his eye. Down the road, standing in front of Sai, was a small group of ANBU Black Ops. shinobi. _What the…?_ Curiously, he watched as the ANBU stopped Sai briefly—seeming to say something to him, although Naruto couldn't quite tell because of the masks—and he nodded quickly before disappearing in a flash himself.

Now Naruto was certain he was just tired, because Sai never did anything without some kind of argument. Shaking his head, Naruto turned to leave again.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto grunted in surprise at the figures standing before him. They were the same ANBU that had been speaking to Sai not five seconds ago.

"Yeah?"

"The Hokage wishes to see you." Naruto narrowed his eyes suspiciously and wondered what the old woman was up to this time.

"Yeah, alright, just let me—"

"Immediately." Naruto groaned loudly and set his jaw angrily.

"This is supposed to be my day off!" he complained. "Tsunade-baa-chan better have a good reason for this." The ANBU were completely unfazed by his outburst and didn't seem all that bothered by the death glare he was giving them either. A vein popped out on his forehead. After a moment of tense silence, he scoffed obnoxiously.

"Alright, fine! I'll go!"

**Kirigakure – Hawk Tower**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

Mori Kazuta was too busy stringing paper bombs to notice the large bird circling overhead. Similarly, his teammate Yamanaka Kamiko was too focused on the crowd below them; her attention was concentrated on the low hum of the kusarigama's chain as it swung in a large circle by her side.

Every few moments one of them would manage to make it over the pile of bodies and rubble blocking the staircase and she would let go of the chain, sending the weight flying into the throng of people. Nine times out of ten, she hit her mark the first time and the weight came back with a spray of blood.

"Nice shot." Kazuta commented after a cursory glance over the rail, just in time to see the weight smash into the skull of whoever was unlucky enough to be on top of the macabre barrier. Kamiko grunted, her hand slipping on the blood-covered chain as she yanked it back up the tower.

"Just hurry up. I can't hold 'em off much longer."

The crowd's continuous drone blocked out the sound of the bird's shrill cries. It wasn't until it folded its wings and dove straight for the tower that the final member of their group noticed it. On the opposite side of the platform, Shimizu Ayumaru cursed as he dove out of the way, the shuriken in his hand clattering across the wooden floor.

"What the hell, Ayu—!" Kazuta's angry remark was cut off by a hawk flying past his face with a scream, the tip of its wing grazing his cheek. It landed heavily on the far rail, narrowly avoiding the kusarigama. For a brief second, both boys just stared.

"Ah, yes!" Ayumaru cried, an excited grin splitting his face. "A messenger hawk!" Kamiko cast a brief glance at the bird before returning her focus to crowd. Abandoning their tasks, Kazuta and Ayumaru moved to the hawk. As a testament to its training, it remained still as Kazuta eagerly took the small case off its back, but took off again as soon as it was unburdened. Ayumaru cursed.

"Watch your mouth, kid." Kamiko called, earning a glare from him.

"I'm thirteen, I'm not a kid! And how the hell are we supposed to get a message out to anyone if the hawk flew away?" His voice was angry but his words made sense, which worried Kamiko-though she was careful not to show it.

"Well, can you blame it?" she asked lightly, casting a glance over her shoulder at him, unwilling to show hesitation or fear in front of either of them. "I just wanna get the hell outta here, too." He opened his mouth to argue, but Kazuta cut him off.

"Guys!" his voice held a reprimand for their arguing, a hint of fear, and a mass of disappointment all at the same time. "It's from Konoha."

**Konohagakure – Hokage Tower**

**2:00 Hours since Exposure**

Tsunade clenched her teeth as another stab of pain stole through her arm. No matter how many ways she thought about it, no matter how many different plans she tried in her mind, this was bad. She could feel the infection spreading in her body, cutting every cell it reached from her chakra network.

She could feel it killing her, a little more every second.

She didn't have much time left; she would have to leave the full debriefing to Shikamaru and the others. Unconsciously, she tugged at the sleeve to her jacket making sure it covered the bandage. Slowly, she looked around the crowded room and made eye contact with everyone there.

"Everyone's here, Tsunade-sama." Shizune said softly, in a scared but overly-kind tone that annoyed her. It was the tone people used when they were talking to the dying.

"Where's Team Gai?" She almost winced at how exhausted her own voice sounded. Shikamaru flinched slightly from his place at the front of his team.

"They never made it back, milady." She answered, her voice strained. "They were still outside the village when…" Tsunade nodded, sparing her assistant from having to finish her sentence. She took a deep breath and—

"Oi, baa-chan!" Naruto called loudly from his position in the center of the room, "Hurry up and get on with it, will ya? You're interrupting my day off." Around the room, several of the other shinobi stiffened, less out of shock for his rude outburst than their fear of the infamous wrath of their Hokage.

Sakura spun on her heels to face her blonde teammate, her hands fisted tightly. "Could you at least _try_ to feel the mood in here?" She demanded angrily, her voice slightly gruffer than normal. Naruto didn't even have time to be surprised before her fist hit the top of his head, propelling him to the ground.

"Ow, ow, ow!" he whined, grabbing his pounded skull. "Sakura-chan! What was that for?"

"Yeah, Sakura," Ino cut in with a quiet, somewhat nervous voice, "I know he's annoying but that was harsh, even for you."

"You idiot!" she cried, completely ignoring her rival."Can't you see that this is no time to be acting so stupidly?"

"He _is _pretty dumb, Sakura." Sai said simply, his voice neutral and noncommittal as always, but still making the vein on Naruto's forehead pop out. Falling into their familiar routine, he opened his mouth to retaliate—

And was cut off by a _very_ bad sound.

"Quiet, you three!" Tsunade snapped loudly, her annoyance radiating off her in waves that were almost visible. All of the young shinobi turned their heads to her, wearing matching expressions of nervous surprise—except for Sai, of course. Sakura apologized hastily.

Tsunade's eyes locked onto Naruto. "Impatient as always, you little brat." she remarked dryly, though the ghost of a smile played behind her angry glare.

He glared back from the floor, where he was still clutching his head.

In their contest of wills, the harsh silence continued on for several moments, until the less patient among their number simply couldn't take it anymore. "Uhm, Hokage-sama…" Chouji was holding his hand up half-heartedly, pulling her attention back to the others in the room.

"Oh, right." She smiled faintly, as though she had forgotten the others were there. "Well, I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here..." As quickly as it had come, the light-hearted smile vanished from her features. "There isn't much time, so I'm going to cut straight to it: I'm dying."

Gasps and other sounds of shock rippled through the room.

"I've called you here because it has suddenly become necessary to name a successor."

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Ooo, cliff-hanger! Sorry about that, but I have to keep you coming back somehow, don't I? As always, reviews are lovely and VERY appreciated! :p

**Coming Soon: **Chapter 4 - Promises

Sneak Peek:

_"'This is all the information we are able to send you at this time. When Konohagakure has been cleared of any and all threat from this new disease, it will once again open its gates. Until that time, we encourage you to avoid the continent entirely._

_"'Signed, Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-hime.'"..._

_That was it, then. There was no help coming. There never would be._


	4. Promises

**Disclaimer:** Okay, seriously? *sigh* I don't own _Naruto_. Kay, moving on...

**AN:** Well, I'm cuttin' it a little close, but I do believe this meets the vague "sometime before next week" deadline. :p Also, I apologize in advance if my novel of an author's note at the end is a little confusing/random. It's like, 1 AM here...

**Heads up! **Angst on an extreme level that borders on ridiculous. You've been warned...

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><p><strong>Chapter Four - Promises<strong>

Konohagakure – Hokage Tower

2:05 Hours since Exposure

Naruto scoffed disbelievingly, the first to regain his voice. "Oh I get it, this is a joke!" he jumped to his feet, a large grin plastered to his face."Ha ha, very funny Tsunade-baa-chan." Shizune closed her eyes in mild exasperation.

Tsunade-baa-chan's eye twitched in annoyance "Would you stop being such a brat and be quiet?" she snapped, surprising several people in the room. The old woman had never been very patient, but even Naruto could see that today was obviously not one of her good days.

She turned away from them, coughing violently into her shirt sleeve.

"Hokage-sama!" Shizune took a hesitant step forward, but stopped when Tsunade_-_baa_-_chan threw her other arm out to ward her off, wincing at the sudden movement. When at last the coughing spell was over, she took a deep, ragged breath. There was blood on her sleeve.

Naruto cast his eyes about the room again, trying to understand what was going on. Wasn't this all just some elaborate prank…? Of course it was. She may have been old, but baa-chan wasn't _dying.._.

A low growling sound came from behind Naruto, making him turn his head. Akamaru's ears were flat against his head, his body slightly crouched, as he glanced between the Hokage and his owner. Kiba reached down and put a hand on his head, a hard look in his own eyes. "I know, Akamaru." He sniffed the air conspicuously. "I can smell it, too."

"K-Kiba-kun?" Hinata's voice seemed very upset, and the pronounced stutter she'd had as a genin came back.

"I don't think she's making it up." He said, drawing all eyes to him. "I can smell it in the air—sickness. Death." Hinata's eyes widened and Naruto heard Ino gasp behind him. When he turned around to face Tsunade-baa-chan again, he saw something in Sakura's eyes that made his blood run cold.

Tears.

His stomach knotted tightly as he realized it was all true.

"But that doesn't make any sense." he said slowly, still unwilling to accept it. "If you need a successor, why call all of us here?" He lifted his confused gaze from the wooden floor to the Hokage. His voice hardened, ever-so-slightly "And why not tell the village what's happening?"

She attempted a weak smile "I called you here because I have a mission for you all, a mission that could decide the fate of this village. And because—" she broke off, coughing. When the fit was over, she continued as though nothing had happened. "Because the person I have chosen as my successor is in this room."

Immediately, Naruto's eyes flashed to Kakashi. It was obvious he was the most logical choice for the title.

"Well spit it out, baa-chan! Who is it?"

"Naruto!" the frustrated cry came from several shinobi as they all turned to glare at him briefly. For perhaps the first time in his life, Naruto shut his mouth in surprise.

"I don't have time to explain the mission," Tsuande-baa-chan continued on as though Naruto hadn't spoken, "Shikamaru will have to do that." He could tell just by looking at her that it was true—she was looking weaker every minute. "I won't drag this out any longer. The person I've chosen as my successor is you, Naruto."

**Kumogakure – Raikage Tower**

**Days since Outbreak: 1**

"Shh, Kin. It'll be alright." Endo Sayuri flashed a falsely bright smile at her younger brother, who was whimpering slightly. He looked back at her with wide, terrified eyes. They were standing on opposite sides of a long hallway, their backs pressed up against the walls. Sayuri glanced up at the determined expressions of her new companions.

They were all lined up along the hall—three on each side—facing a small servants' entrance that lead out to an alley. The alley lead to ANBU District, which—if everything went according to plan—would provide them with shelter, high ground against the enemy, a fresh weapon cache, and hopefully even food. From there, they would have a clear shot to the wall. Once outside, they would be able to purge the village of Infected without harming themselves (hopefully).

Of course, that all depended on the ANBU District being clear of the Infected. Other than that, Sayuri felt it was a solid plan with a decent chance of success.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu." The Raikage whispered, making a series of hand signs; there was a soft poof of smoke, and two copies of the elderly shinobi appeared. As they approached the door, the six real shinobi held their kunai tighter and pressed as far up against the wall as they could. The Raikage gave a signal and the two clones opened the door and slipped outside.

As soon as the door was shut, they heard the automatic lock click.

They waited silently for what felt like ages, but was probably less than a minute. They couldn't hear any noise coming from outside and the clones hadn't vanished yet, which meant the alley was probably clear. The plan was off to a good start.

"Hey, kid." One of the others—she thought his name was Naoki, or something like that—called softly to Kin, who was still trembling. "You're worrying too much. We're shinobi, this is what we do." He smiled comfortingly, "We won't let anything happen to you." Endo watched as Kin regarded him suspiciously for a moment, but something about the Jonin seemed to make Kin trust him.

He attempted a smile in return, which stunned his sister. She couldn't recall the last time he'd smiled at anyone but her. For that brief moment, she almost forgot the tenseness of the situation they were in.

"All clear." The Raikage stiffened slightly as he spoke, and Sayuri realized that one of the shadow clones must have disappeared. "But we only have a ten minute window." Sayuri threw a smile at her brother that was more confident than she felt and readied herself to run.

They edged closer to the door, forming a single file. The adrenaline was already rushing through her veins. On some unseen signal, the Raikage pushed the door open. He held it back as they ran past; the other woman first, followed by the Genin, then Naoki, Kin and finally herself. As soon as she was over the threshold, the Raikage followed them out.

**Konohagakure – Hokage Tower**

**2:10 Hours since Exposure**

Naruto reeled. "Me?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, baka. You." Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, feeling faint. She could feel the infection in her lungs already—she only had a few minutes left before it reached her heart. She watched as he opened and shut his mouth a few times, obviously flabbergasted.

"But I—I can't." he stammered.

"Baka. Do you think I would leave the village to you if you couldn't? "

"Ts-Tsunade-baa-chan…" he stuttered, his infamously slow mind clearly still trying to make sense of the situation.

She tried to breathe deeply before responding, but the action caused a sharp pain in her chest, making her cough again. She could feel the painful way each convulsion of her lungs caused them to break down even further.

She was out of time.

"Sakura." She held her arm out weakly, calling her student to her. She didn't fail to notice the tears on her cheeks.

"Tsunade-sama." She answered with a cracking voice, stepping up to the desk.

"There's no more time." Tsunade was breathing slowly, and as deeply as she was able. Shizune approached her from behind the chair.

"Please, Tsunade-sama, there has to be another way." Sakura was practically begging, leaving everyone but Shikamaru looking very confused. He just stared at the wall, an icy look in his eyes.

"If Shikamaru couldn't think of one, then I think we can be reasonably sure there isn't." she gave a smile that was as ill-placed as her attempted humor, casting her gaze over Sakura's shoulder at Naruto. "Keep him in-line, alright?"

They realized then what was going on.

Naruto swallowed.

"I never said I'd do it." She knew he was trying to be tough, but she could see the water in his eyes as well. It brought an oddly warm feeling to her breaking heart.

"Yes you did, baka. Have you suddenly forgotten your dream? Every day for as long as I've known you, you've promised yourself you would become Hokage. And what about your nindo? You never go back on your word, Naruto."

She slumped back in her chair, too weak to hold herself up any longer. She heard Ino give a tiny, suppressed sob and watched Hinata's shoulders rising and falling, her hands in front of her mouth. Naruto—like many of the other shinobi—had his fists clenched and hanging by his side. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and face Shizune, so instead she lifted her eyes to Sakura again. If she didn't do it soon, it would be too late.

"And now, Sakura, I need you to keep _your_ promise."

**Kirigakure – Hawk Tower**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

"Konoha?" Kamiko asked with surprise, the chain swinging wildly and barely missing Kazuta as her focus slipped off it. They cursed at the same moment, although their choice of words were quite different.

"Dammit, Kami-chan! Watch what you're doing with that thing!"

"Sorry." She apologized hastily, unwrapping the bloody chain from the railing it had enfolded. The metal was slick with gore—as were her hands—and she grimaced as she wiped it quickly along her pants to dry it a little. By the time she was finished, there were already two of Them on the barrier.

"What's a Konoha hawk doing here?" she asked over her shoulder, swiftly dispatching the two below her. "Do you think they heard about what's happening? Are they sending help?" She tried not to get her hopes up, but the idea of help from the strongest village in the Five Nations was hard to ignore.

"I don't know." Kazuta admitted, the disappointment from earlier coloring his voice again. "It's encrypted." She smothered the urge to scream in frustration. What good was a letter they couldn't read?

"Wait!" Ayumaru said, catching Kazuta's arm as he moved to pitch the scroll over the railing. "My dad works in the Cryptography Unit; I might be able to read it!" Kamiko scoffed loudly, her bitterness at the situation turning into undeserved anger.

"You? You're just a kid. A Genin."

"So?" he demanded angrily, beginning to lose patience with her constant degrading remarks about his age. "You're just a Chuunin! And anyway, as long as I can figure out the cipher, what the hell does it matter how old I am?"

"Come on, Kami-chan." Kazuta broke in, afraid an argument would distract her from her job of guarding the stairwell. "Let him at least try it. If he can't figure something out by the time we're ready here, I'll make him pitch it out." Kamiko glanced at her traitorous teammate, who was wearing an appeasing smile. She'd seen him use that look a hundred times on missions and knew how deceptive it was; it almost never ended well for the person on the receiving end. She rolled her eyes as she turned away from them again.

"Yeah, whatever. We're almost done here anyway." The chain slid easily out of her hand, the weight cruising straight for its mark. When it hit, she tugged it back up so forcefully that it sent a spray of blood and brain matter across the walls and Kazuta.

"Gods, Kamiko, are you _trying_ to get us infected?" he demanded angrily, quickly rubbing off any of the blood on his exposed skin.

"Oops, sorry." She smirked in a way that showed she clearly wasn't sorry. Kazuta scowled and returned to the delicate mass of paper bombs and wire he'd been working on.

For several tense minutes, they continued on in silence; Ayumaru deciphering, Kazuta building, and Kamiko guarding.

"I got it!" Ayumaru yelled suddenly, grinning. Despite herself, Kamiko's hopes lifted again.

"Good job." Kazuta said with only a hint of sarcasm. "So what's it say?" The younger boy's smile faded.

"Well for starters, it's addressed to the Godaime…" Kamiko's countenance fell. If it was addressed to the Godaime, then Konohagakure didn't know she was dead. If they didn't know that, than they probably didn't know anything else either.

And if they didn't know, they couldn't send help.

And now the hawk was gone, leaving them with no way of telling Konohagakure—or anyone else, for that matter—what was happening.

Kazuta had stopped working on the bombs and was watching him expectantly. "…And?"

"Oh, well, uhm… 'To the Godaime Mizukage and whomever else it may concern'" Ayumaru began reading what he could of the letter. "'The Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, Tsunade-hime, has just declared Konohagakure to be in a state of total quarantine effective immediately. The village has become exposed to the unidentified disease sweeping the continent and, in an effort to preserve as many lives as possible, has been closed off to any and all outsiders. Until you hear from Konohagakure again, we advise you NOT to send people, shinobi or civilians, to our village. They will not be admitted into the village for ANY reason.

"'We are unable to provide you with much more information about the disease than Amegakure or any of the other infected villages. All we can tell you that infection has shown to be 100% fatal. The disease does not appear to be airborne, but rather is spread by the exchange of body fluids. Infected patients are completely insane, and cannibalistic.

"'We warn you to avoid any and all contact with the infected. The best thing you can do for them is to kill them before the disease does. To the best of our knowledge, being bitten by an infected person will absolutely pass on the disease.

"'According to our most current reports, the infection causes a radical change in the human body. The body gives every appearance of being dead, and yet the patient continues to live a primal, reflex-based life. Infected persons are blind; they are completely brain-dead, and have severely impaired motor control. They cannot speak. They will NOT recognize anyone. They react to and follow even the smallest of sounds. The majority of the body does not appear to recognize sensation; however the hands and head appear to react reflexively to being touched.

"'This is all the information we are able to send you at this time. When Konohagakure has been cleared of any and all threat from this new disease, it will once again open its gates. Until that time, we encourage you to avoid the continent entirely.

"Signed, Godaime Hokage, Tsunade-hime.'"

Silence ruled the platform for a long while after Ayumaru finished reading the letter. Kamiko wasn't quite sure what to make of it. As far as she knew, Kirigakure had received no correspondences concerning this new infection. She had hoped it was a local problem, something only her island was dealing with. But it had reached the continent… It was as far in as Amegakure, even.

She sighed deeply. That was it, then. There was no help coming. There never would be.

"I guess that means we're on our own, boys." She suppressed the icy disappointment in her chest, replacing it with burning, bubbling rage. Rage at her village for being so ill-prepared for something like this. Rage at the continent for not being able to help. Rage at the gods for cursing them with such horrors. Rage at her brother for abandoning her when she needed him most. Rage at the monsters below her for taking her family from her, for taking her teammate and sensei from her, for taking her home, for taking her entire damn village, for even existing!

"That thing ready yet?" she jerked her head in the direction of the bomb/wire pile, while simultaneously swinging the chain and taking out her mark before he even reached the barrier. Kazuta nodded, a glint in his eye remarkably similar to the one in her own. Ayumaru scooped up the shuriken scattered about easily, an expression of hatred marring his young features. She smirked, creating an expression that would strike fear into the heart of even the strongest shinobi.

"Then let's get the fuck out of here."

**Konohagakure – Hokage Tower**

**2:20 Hours since Exposure **

Sakura sobbed once, her fists clenched like Naruto's.

"Isn't there any other way?"

"You know there isn't." Tsuande's voice was soft, but it was more than just exhaustion. It was full of compassion for what she was asking her pupil to do. After a brief moment, Sakura swallowed hard and nodded.

A strange determination—one she had learned from her mentor—crept into her eyes, stopping their tears.

"Sh-shikamaru," she turned her head slightly but didn't look at him, "could you, uhm, take everyone…" He nodded tersely, and turned to the door. It was obvious they were meant to leave, at least for now.

Kurenai was the first to exit, moving quickly as though she was going to be sick. The ANBU and guard followed after her, stopping in the door way to bow at Tsunade. Slowly, the remaining Chuunin did the same, beginning with Kurenai's team, then Sai and Chouji.

Ino hesitated for a brief moment, her eyes locked on Tsunade_'s_. With a sob, she jerked a bow and ran from the room. With tears silently sliding down his face, Naruto also turned to leave.

"Hey brat," Tsunade_'s_ voice cracked slightly, and his head snapped back up to look at her. "Could you and Shizune… will you stay, please?" he and Shizune shared a surprised glance before he nodded slowly.

Shikamaru exited the room, leaving only Kakashi, the Hokage, her assistant, her student, and her successor.

As Naruto took a shaky step forward, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw Kakashi. The two held gazes for a long moment, Naruto searching from some kind of comfort, some bit of wisdom from his sensei that would make this easier. But there was none, and Kakashi knew that. So instead of saying anything, he simply squeezed Naruto's shoulder once, slowly nodded his head towards Sakura and the Hokage, and exited the room.

The door swung shut behind him, closing heavily.

"Naruto…" Tsunade leaned forward in her chair as he approached, laboriously pulling her green jacket off and standing up. She leaned almost entirely on the desk to hold her up. He only had to wonder what she was doing for a brief moment. He saw the second her jacket hit the floor what she had been hiding this whole time.

His eyes widened in shock as he took in the pale gray skin on her arm, spreading all the way up to her shirt, and the large, blood-stained bandage on her forearm near her wrist.

"This is what's… killing me. This is what you must… protect Konoha from." She stumbled then, and Shizune lunged forward to catch her. This time, Tsunade didn't push her way.

Sakura went to her side immediately and helped to lower her to the ground, placing her head in Shizune's lap. Naruto knelt by her side, opposite Sakura. As Sakura began to make a series of hand signs, Tsunade continued to whisper.

"Naruto… You will be a… great Hokage…." She looked up to meet Sakura's eyes. "Sakura… He will depend on… you…. Help him…. Stand by him… Never give up. On him… or Sasuke." Sakura nodded silently, forming the final Seal; a pale glow began to emanate from her hands.

Tsunade lifted her eyes up to Shizune. "Shizune… please be strong…. Please don't… be bitter…" Shizune nodded, biting her lip against her tears. "You are… so much like him…. Like Dan…" She looked back at Sakura, and nodded slightly.

Sakura swallowed and held her shaking, glowing hands over Tsunade_'s_ chest. She winced slightly, making the others cringe. After a moment, Sakura pulled her hands away and Naruto knew that it was done.

"I have… faith in… you…." Tsunade whispered with her dying breath. "All… of… you…." Her eyelids fluttered shut as she exhaled softly.

A single tear landed on her face as Shizune hung her head. Sakura sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

In that moment, Naruto felt a weight land on his shoulders.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> :'( Aw, poor baa-chan.

You know, this fic is beginning to surprise me with how difficult it is to write. I mean, when I first started this I was thinking something along the lines of "Zombie Apocalypse=lots of blood and dying and not much else. :)" But in writing this I've discovered that I have strange fascination with the psychological effects something like this would have, and am rather enjoying exploring that with some of the characters. Particularly people like Naruto and Sakura, whose psyches have been analyzed to extreme lengths even in canon_. _But let me tell you what, there's nothing like traumatic events and severe psychological damage to make writing people in-character a pain in the a**...

Anywayyyy, you're probably wonderin' what the heck this has to do with anything, and why you're still wasting time reading this, right? Well, I just thought I mention it so you're not caught completly off-guard if the characters start to go a little OOC every once in a while. :) I think I'm doing a decent job off keeping that from happening (of course, I'll never _really_ know that if you don't review :p ) but I thought I'd give you a heads up, just in case.

Until the next chapter then, my lovelies. [Yeah, I went there.] :)

Oh, and **P.S.** The rating on this fic might go up in later chapters. As the action begins to intensify, the gore-factor is going to go up by A LOT... Just another heads-up.

**Coming Soon: **Chapter Five - Decisions

Sneak Peek:

_"Now he looked as cold as she felt._

_And yet, at the same time, he was exactly the same as he had always been..._

_There was something about the look in his eyes that she found oddly… comforting. He wasn't going to give up without a fight—he never had before, and he wouldn't now."_


	5. Decisions

**Disclaimer [that I've been over a hundred times, it feels like]:** Yeah, I still don't own Naruto, so...

**Warnings**: BLOOD. Like, a lot of it. So, heads up, if that ain't your thing...

**AN**: I am SOOO sorry this took so long! First it was finals then it was my brothers then it was those darned plot bunnies, and a bunch of other craziness and I am really sorry! Those really don't excuse it, but... Anyway, I'm gonna let you get to the story now, because that's why you're really here. [I hope.] Have fun!

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: Decisions<strong>

Kirigakure Hawk Tower

Days since Outbreak: 3

Ayumaru stood at the edge of the platform, one hand braced against the rail and the other clutching a kunai. There was a long piece of sturdy rope tied to the hilt of the blade, which was going to make it harder to throw accurately, but he figured he would just have to make it work.

He let go of the rail and lightly tossed the kunai back and forth in his hands, making sure he was as attuned to the weapon as he possibly could be. Behind him, Kamiko and Kazuta were watching him somewhat impatiently.

He lifted his eyes to the broad, wooden door that was his mark. He studied the knife that was already there, watching the angle of the fabric that was tied to the handle flapping in the light breeze. He took a deep, steadying breath, locked his gaze on the door, and curled his arm across his chest…

The kunai hit its mark with a satisfying _thunk_, making him grin. Even from here, Ayumaru could see that the blade had penetrated deeply, right up to the hilt. He pulled on the rope, testing how well it would hold. When it showed no signs of slipping, he wrapped the end of it around the railing twice and handed the rest to Kamiko.

"Don't worry kid, I won't let you fall." She smirked. Ayumaru ignored her dig, choosing instead to focus on the dangerous task ahead of him. Clutching the rail, he carefully swung his legs over to the other side. Foolishly, he chanced a glance down at the swarm below him.

His stomach flip-flopped. If he slipped it was certain death; if the fall alone didn't kill him, _They_ certainly would. He took a deep breath again, lifting his eyes to the far side of the gap he was attempting to cross.

"Don't worry, Ayumaru, you got this." Kazuta said reassuringly—something that seemed very out of character for him, though Ayumaru didn't know him all that well. Kamiko remained silent, but in his peripheral vision he saw her hands tighten around the rope. He reached out carefully and grasped the rope on his side of the rail. Sliding along the narrow edge, he jumped up and swung one leg over it, using the rail to steady himself. His stomach lurched as the rope swayed.

He waited until it stopped moving—keeping one hand on the rail—before deciding that it would hold his weight. It was now or never.

He let go of the rail and leaned forward, grasping the rope ahead of him with both hands and hooking his feet behind him. A wave of vertigo came over him, and he waited for it to pass before tentatively sliding his hands forward and pulling himself away from the relative safety of the balcony.

When he didn't immediately plummet to his death, the tension in his stomach eased a little. _I can do this._ he told himself, _there's nothing to worry about._

The worst part was the center of the gap, where the wind pushed lightly against him and the choppy motion of pulling himself along caused the rope to sway dangerously. There, he worried again that the kunai might not be able to take the strain and would slide free of the door, dropping him; he slowed his pace, trying to make his movements as smooth as possible. He kept his eyes trained on the rail but could still see the roiling mass below him, waiting with outstretched arms for him to fall. For a moment, he thought he would be sick; but after a few calls of encouragement from Kazuta and another deep, steadying breath, Ayumaru pushed on to the other side.

**Konohagakure – Morgue**

**2:47 hours since Exposure**

Behind a large desk near the main doors of the building, a young woman sat impatiently. With a dark look on her face, she had her arms crossed in front of her chest and was tapping her foot on the ground quickly.

The other woman behind the desk—wearing a nurse's uniform—was watching her out of the corner of her eye; having worked with the younger woman for quite some time now, she knew enough to realize she didn't want to be anywhere near her when whoever she was waiting on finally showed up.

"Where are they?" she cried after a few more minutes of waiting, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I paged them nearly twenty minutes ago!"

"Who are you looking for?" the elder asked tentatively.

"Kuzuki and Yamada! I have some questions about their reports today…" The nurse's brows snapped together confusedly.

"Kichiro? What's wrong, he's always done excellent work."

"I know. That's why this bothers me so much… He and the new girl were sent down with the bodies from the Main Gate this morning, but I can't find any of the paperwork!"

Frowning, the nurse began rifling through papers on desk. Her lips only pulled lower as she too failed to find the aforementioned papers. "This can't be right…" she muttered, turning to the plastic bins bolted to the wall, "they've never missed a report before… Could someone have misplaced them?"

"Even if they had, I've searched everywhere up here! I'm sure I would have found them by now."

"Found what?" A middle-aged doctor asked, walking around the corner and moving toward the bins on the wall.

"Oh, nothing sir!" The younger woman smiled nervously, unwilling to be the one who told him about the missing papers.

He merely grunted in response, not really listening to her in the first place. With everything that had happened this morning, he was far too busy to really mind what happened at the front desk. As long as everything at the morgue ran smoothly and their jobs all got done, he honestly didn't care how they did it or what they talked about as they did.

Her smile faltered as she watched his mouth pull into a frown.

"Li Mei?" he tilted his head to the side in a slightly confused expression, sparking worry in the two women.

"Yes?" The younger answered, with another fake smile.

"Why is my box empty? I requested the prelims on the Gate bodies first thing this morning." He began looking through some of the other plastic bins on the wall, each with a small label bearing the name of an employee or doctor at the morgue. "And why is this still here?" his voice held a hint of anger as he pulled several files from the box labeled 'Kuzuki Kichiro'. "These needed to be taken care of hours ago!"

"I'm sorry, sir." The older of the women interceded, also fearful of his wrath. "I haven't seen Ki—" she caught herself and corrected immediately "Kuzuki or Yamada in quite some time. I assumed they were busy with errands, I apologize. We'll track them down immediately." Li Mei nodded her agreement vigorously. The doctor seemed to think it over for a short moment.

"I don't have time for that. We have too many bodies in need of formal identifications and processing, we have families to notify. I guess I'll just have to do it myself." He practically growled as he spat out commands. "Yuka, come with me. When you find those two, Li Mei, tell 'em they're fired." Both of the women started. He was going to fire them simply for being late?

"Y-yes, sir." they stammered in unison, each moving to fulfill their tasks. Yuka followed the doctor down the hall toward the basement—where the body room was—while Li Mei watched them go, all traces of her earlier anger having disappeared. Sure, she had been annoyed that they were so far behind, but to _fire_ them? It seemed a little extreme and her annoyance melted into pity.

Konohgakure Hokage Tower

2:47 Hours since Exposure

The air was tense in the Hokage's office as Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sakura poured over the documents on the desk: several letters from other villages (now totaling 7 hidden villages and at least a dozen civilian ones), Tsunade's report on the infection, a roster of all the teams in Konohagakure's force, and a roster of all the teams that had been outside the village when the quarantine went into effect.

Sakura consciously avoided the thick black line through "_Team Ebisu: Ebisu, Udon , Moegi, Sarutobi Konohamaru"._

Shikamaru had just finished his debriefing, leaving everyone in the room in a stunned silence—including Sakura. Of course she had been present when the Hokage was discussing their options (she and Shikamaru had shared several unkind words about it, in fact) but even she hadn't been aware of her mentor's final decision.

It was something neither of them had even considered earlier. And Shikamaru claimed that she had chosen them for this mission because she felt that they would be the only shinobi capable of it...

They were merely to survive, no matter what the cost.

Of course, she wished them to do everything in their power to protect the village, but if it became obvious that they could no longer help Konohagakure, she wished them to abandon it.

Sakura wondered what it said about them that the Hokage was so sure they would be able to forsake the village she had just put in their care. Had they really become such excellent shinobi—willing to follow their superior's orders even at so great a cost?

Looking at the village now, Sakura couldn't believe that there was anything wrong; but Tsunade had been so _sure_… Could there really be something so horrible out there that even the Hokage would give up on Konoha? She remembered Moegi and the hospital that morning, and repressed the urge to shudder. She remembered the story of the ANBU from the Wall. She remembered the blood on her hands… (Metaphorically, of course. She'd scrubbed her hands until they became red and raw, but even then she could still feel the sticky warmness flecked across her fingers.)

Sakura tried to remind herself that she was a shinobi. She told herself that—as a medic-nin—this was what she dealt with every day. She thought back to her days at the academy, and the basic ninja rules she had been taught. She remembered her years of training since then, and all that she had learned.

A ninja must never show her emotions—not even to herself.

So she didn't.

Numbly, she watched as Naruto looked up at the map—again. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him anymore. (She wasn't sure what to make of _anything_ anymore…) Less than an hour ago, he was the same loud-mouthed, hyperactive, annoying kid he had always been, but now…

Now he looked as cold as she felt.

And yet, at the same time, he was exactly the same as he had always been. Past the obvious pain, she could see a determination shining in his eyes that was not unfamiliar to her. And despite his earlier protests, he had stepped into his new role far better than Sakura had expected him to.

There was something about the look in his eyes that she found oddly… comforting. He wasn't going to give up without a fight—he never had before, and he wouldn't now.

**Kirigakure Hawk Tower**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

As he saw the rail of the other balcony pass beneath him, Ayumaru sighed in relief and dropped down onto it. His shaky, adrenaline charged legs went weak beneath him and he collapsed onto the rough wooden floor, where he stayed for almost a minute as relief washed through him.

"Come on!" he heard the echo of Kamiko's voice call across the distance, nearly drowned out by the moans of the crowd below. "What are you waiting for?" He rolled his eyes and muttered a few choice words under his breath—none of them very polite—while climbing back to his feet. Reaching up, he pulled the kunai free from the door and untied the rope.

Realizing that there was not enough left for a secure knot, he lifted his hand and signaled Kamiko. Slowly, she threaded more rope out while he pulled up the slack. When there was enough, he held up his thumb and they both began to tie the rope against the two wooden rails. When she gave her own thumbs up, he yanked on the line, checking the knot. It felt much safer than it had when he had crossed, and he signaled as well. He saw her lean over and check the knot on his end. Everything was as secure as it was going to get.

Kamiko's crossing went much faster than his had, or it seemed so to him; she was over the crowd for less than a minute.

"Hey." She smiled confidently as she leapt onto the balcony like it was nothing. "That was fun." Her slightly labored breathing gave her away though, and Ayumaru knew she had been just as nervous as he had. He rolled his eyes and looked across the gap to Kazuta, who was waiting for their signal. Checking the line again, Ayumaru gave the thumbs up.

Compared to what Kazuta was up against, Ayumaru felt his job had been a cakewalk. They watched with a growing apprehension as he carefully climbed onto the rope backwards. Loosely attached to his hip was a loop of tags and wire that glinted in the sunlight of the early afternoon. Ayumaru could hear Kamiko's breathing became a little more rapid as they watched Kazuta gently take the end of the wire and secure it to the knot in the rope. Slowly, he began sliding backwards, moving to their side of the balcony. As he did so, he took the string of paper bombs and began winding it around the rope.

Halfway across the gap, a gust of wind made Kazuta slip. Kamiko's breath hitched and Ayumaru reached forward instinctively, his hands clamping onto the rail, as Kazuta's body swung under the rope. It swayed dangerously, and he went completely still. Ayumaru glanced up to Kamiko and saw her chewing her lip, eyes glued to her teammate.

When the wind stopped and the line quit swaying, Kazuta slowly unhooked his ankles and moved them to a more secure position. Ayumaru thought he could just see the older boy's hands shaking as he began to move along the rope again, still hanging upside down over the crowd. He threaded more wire along, but wisely abandoned his attempt to wrap it around the rope. It seemed to take an eternity for his feet to bump the balcony rail.

"Uhm, guys, a little help?" Kazuta's voice was shaky and muffled, but the sound of it caused Ayumaru to let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding in a loud rush of air.

Kamiko rushed forward to her companion's aid, taking the circle of remaining wire from his hand and passing it off to Ayumaru. Kazuta held out a hand toward the balcony, and Kamiko leaned forward to catch it.

A moment later, Kazuta was safely on the balcony, collapsed like Ayumaru had been and breathing heavily. Kamiko kneeled protectively by him, her hand still on his shoulder.

"Well that… was an adventure." He wheezed, laughing lightly.

**Konohagakure Hokage Tower**

**2:50 Hours since Exposure**

Naruto looked up at the mobile board where the world map was tacked. He saw far too many red pins for his comfort. Like Shikamaru, he knew it was only a matter of time before the village was infected—it was simply too far spread for Konoha to escape it. From the sound of the letters, exposure to the disease crippled a village in mere hours; in only a day, the entire town could be infected.

And Konohagakure had been exposed nearly 3 hours ago.

"You need to make a decision, Naruto-sama." Shikamaru's voice was low, so that only those at the desk could hear.

"Shikamaru, if you call me that one more time…" he didn't need to finish the threat, as he saw the small, tired smile pull at his friend's lips. Naruto looked at the papers again, vainly hoping a clear solution would be lying there, telling him what to do.

But of course, there was nothing .

On one hand, Naruto knew his top priority had to be securing the village: maintaining the perimeters as well as checking the inside of the village, to be sure there was no trace of infection.

On the other hand, he was painfully aware that he could not act in the open as Hokage, not yet. He knew that—to prevent panic—everything that had happened so far must still remain a secret. But he couldn't keep everyone here, locked down like this. After all that had happened, they needed time to process. Time to think and to see their loved ones.

_But_ if they were to complete their mission, it was vital that they be prepared and _not_ be separated. Further, he knew he needed to have a contingency plan, in case the infection was already inside the Wall.

With so many needs to meet, just what was he supposed to do?

"Naruto" Sakura's voice was soft but drew his attention immediately—it was the first thing she had said since… he swallowed against the too-fresh memory. "Whatever you choose to do, Naruto, we will support you." She held his gaze, and though she couldn't bring herself to smile yet, he saw the warmth and encouragement in her eyes. She meant it.

He cast his eyes about the room, where things were not nearly as orderly as they had been for Tsunade. They were standing in groups—mostly along team lines—silently trying to offer comfort to one another and process the events of the day as best they could. Suddenly, like a light bulb clicking on, an idea came to him.

A look of determination set in his blue eyes as he picked up the sheet of names outside the village. They watched as he walked across the room, took a red pin from a small container, and stuck the sheet to the board. His fingers lingered over the names he recognized; _Mitarishi Anko, Hyuuga Hanabi, Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, Tenten._

He wasn't sure which saddened him more: the ones he knew or the dozens more he didn't.

"We won't forget you." He whispered gruffly, unsure if he was promising to save them or honor their memories. When he turned back to face them, everyone was watching him. "Alright, I finally know what to do.

"Before anyone leaves this room, I want you to read this list of names. They are our comrades, doing their duty to Konoha. For now, we have to consider them missing in action. And if the rumors are true, there's every possibility they won't make it back here safely. I want you to read this list and remember these names. Most likely, you will know many of them. I don't know what's going to happen, but if it comes to the worst… remember these names. Remember the sacrifice they've made.

"Let it give _you_ the strength to do whatever we have to do for this village. Because, whatever it takes, we'll do it. We'll honor Tsunade-baa-chan's last request. We _will _protect Konoha." There was a pall over the room, a heaviness in the air that was stifling. Naruto couldn't remember if he'd _ever _seen some of the people in that room act so seriously for so long. He couldn't remember if _he'd_ ever been so serious before.

"Look, Naruto," Kiba cut in from the corner of the room, where he, Shino and Akamaru were standing in a little circle, "not that I don't appreciate the dramatic speech and all, but just _how_ are we going to do that?"

"Shaddup, Kiba," the blonde snapped with an exaggerated scowl, "I'm getting to that part." The other boy looked mildly indignant for a moment before a smirk pulled at his lips.

And in that moment, something changed.

With that small exchange, the air in the room lightened noticeably. Somewhere inside him, somewhere beyond the grief and worry and indecision and inadequacy he felt, a small part of Naruto sighed in relief.

Maybe, just maybe, if they could manage to fight their own pain they could fight whatever was lurking outside the walls. Maybe, if they could only hold on to themselves and their sanity, they could hold on to their village.

Maybe.

Konohagkaure – Morgue

2:57 hours since Exposure

With wide, worried eyes Yuka stood waiting outside the body room. She couldn't seem to take her gaze off the window in the door, which was smeared with a thick layer of half-dried blood that completely blocked her view into the room.

The door had been unlocked when they arrived, and she had been ordered to wait there until the doctor could check things out. As he entered the room, she had glimpsed a pool of red on the floor and she could smell the iron tang of blood in the air.

He'd been in there for almost a minute already, and she was becoming more and more worried. She could hear strange noises from inside the room, almost as though someone were moaning. She was debating going into the room anyway, but wasn't sure she could make herself move. Everything in her body was screaming at her to run as far away from that place as she could.

She shrieked and jumped back as the doors slammed open suddenly, one of the gurneys rushing out into the hall. On it, there was an empty body bag and several brown smears that she knew immediately were dried blood stains.

Between the heavy doors, a writhing, twisting mass collapsed to the floor. It took a moment for Yuka to recognize it as the doctor and someone else struggling. Behind them, more figures shuffled into view trying to move into the hall.

Her heart nearly stopped as she recognized one of them. They were moaning loudly, and reaching out to her in a way that filled her with unexplainable dread. Her foot shifted back of its own accord as she prepared to turn and run.

From the ground, the doctor cried out painfully. Shifting her eyes to him, she saw the man he was struggling with had his mouth clamped around the doctor's arm. Blood spurted from the wound and began sliding to the floor.

She started screaming hysterically, sending them into a kind of frenzy. They were literally climbing over each other to get out of the body room—even the man on the doctor had abandoned him and was crawling toward her.

She turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her, bolting for the elevator at the end of the hall. She could hear them shuffling along behind her, the doctor screaming for her to run.

She slammed into the wall so quickly it was painful, her hand pounding the call button. Turning to face her pursuers, she pressed her back into the metal doors waiting for them to open, willing them to hurry. As they stumbled down the hall Yuka noticed that all three of the people following her were seriously wounded, their clothes blackened with blood and their skin pale and lifeless. None of them were running, but they were still advancing down the hall at an alarming pace.

"Come on, come on, come on…" she found herself sobbing as she smacked her palms against the metal elevator doors, begging them to open. They were almost at the end of the hall. "Please, don't." she called to them, not understanding why they were doing this. "Yamada-san, please… What are you doing?" The girl didn't seem to hear her and continued to move toward the elevator. Just steps behind her, were two men. "Kichiro-kun…" she began to sob harder, terror fueling her hysteria. "Yuki-chan… Stop… Stop it! STOP!" she wasn't sure why she was screaming, she just was.

The girl's fingers were just inches from Yuka when a bell chimed and the doors slid open. She fell backwards and scrambled into the elevator, sliding as far back as she could. Yukiko shuffled forward still, her fingers flexing as she reached for Yuka. The doors tried to slide shut, but bounced open again when they hit the deranged girl.

Something in Yuka snapped then. A strange feeling came over her, driving her to do whatever she needed to to get away. Gripping the handle bar above her head, she pushed herself forward and kicked out as hard as she could. Her foot connected with something solid, and a crunching sound echoed in the air. The girl stumbled back, pushing the others back with her body, but clamped her hands around Yuka's ankle and calf.

Yuka screamed as Yukiko savagely bit into her leg, tearing at the flesh just above her knee. Her body bucked with the sudden pain, and her fingers dug into the handrail. She could feel the needy touch of the other two as they also tried to grab her twisting body. Mustering all the strength in her, Yuka jerked her other knee upward—wrenching it free from Kichiro's hands—and slammed it into her attacker.

She shrieked as her leg exploded in pain, Yukiko ripping away from her. Her vision swam red with a mixture of pain, rage and an instinct to live, forcing her to ignore the warm, sticky wetness pouring across her leg. Her foot slammed into Yukiko's face and the girl was thrown backward, her body knocking away the other two as well.

Yuka collapsed to the floor as the doors just barely managed to slide shut. Her vision was swimming in and out and her entire body felt like it was on fire. She couldn't breathe. As she watched the pool of red spread to the edges of the small elevator, pulsing out unevenly and weakly splashing against the bottom of the doors, she realized that her femoral artery must have been damaged.

Dimly, something in the back of her mind told her to be terrified. But she was just so tired… she wasn't sure she had the energy to be scared anymore. She was safe here in this little box. Her fingers relaxed and slid off the bar above her, her body slipping down the side of the elevator. Vaguely, it occurred to her that she could be dying, but she just couldn't find it in her to fight anymore…

Yuka was dead before the elevator doors opened to the safety of the front room.

Li Mei never stood a chance, really.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> And... BOOM. There it is. Reviews are much appreciated, they help me know what it is y'all want, which in turn helps me to update faster. :) *hinthint*winkwink*nudgenudge*saynomoresaynomore*

Coming Soon: Chapter Six - Family

_"When Shikamaru finally came home, it was not at all how his mother expected him to. Normally, her son was calm and apathetic about everything he did—exactly like his father—and he almost never announced when he got back. There were some days she didn't even realize he was back until he joined them for dinner._

_"Today was not one of those days."_


	6. Family

**Disclaimer: ***Sigh* Naruto comes from the beautiful mind of Masashi Kishimoto, who is, incidentally, NOT me. :/ And, because I'm sick of them, I'm no longer going to put these on later chapters. Consider the first 6 enough for the whole thing, kay?

**Heads up: **Long chapter is long. Like, Holy-son-of-a-Monkey's-fuckin-Uncle LONG. (5400+ words BEFORE ANs!)

**AN: **Okay, so there's potential for this to get confusing, so try and stay with me here. You see those lovely little segment breaks I have, that tell you where the heck they are? Yeah, they're going to be more and more important in coming chapters. Other than that, have fun!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: Family<strong>

Konohagakure – Yakiniku Restaurant

3:03 hours since Exposure

Yamanaka Inoichi was laughing too loudly at his old teammate's joke. If poor Chouza had been paying more attention he would have noticed that it seemed a little forced. Luckily for Inoichi, it seemed the entire village was preoccupied today and no one noticed his own distractedness.

Shikaku had even elected to skip their monthly tradition, which meant it was only the _baika_ user and Inoichi at lunch that day. Glancing around him, the blonde man noticed that the restaurant seemed emptier than it usually did. He felt a quick twinge of worry in his chest as he thought about the day's events.

News of the quarantine had spread around the village like wildfire, along with at least a hundred rumors about why it had been ordered, and while Inoichi didn't put much stock in any of them it still made him nervous to think about his only child's sudden—and very strange—mission.

Whatever was going on, he didn't like the idea of Ino being at one of the only 4 entrances to the village when whatever Tsunade was expecting finally hit.

_Maybe when I'm finished here I'll—_he struck down the idea before he'd even finished thinking it. Ino was a Chuunin now, he told himself, and she could take care of herself. Besides, she would never forgive him if he were to embarrass her by checking up on her while she was on a mission, even if it was one as odd as this.

As much as he hated to admit it, she just wasn't his little girl anymore. She was growing up.

A peculiar flash of chakra pulled him out of his reverie just in time for him to catch his companion and prevent him from slumping forward and hitting the hot grill with his face. "Chouza?" he asked with a light chuckle, trying to push the heavy man back up so he would not injure himself. "What's the matter with you?"

He watched as Chouza shook his shoulders suddenly and sat up unusually straight. When he looked at Inoichi, his eyebrows snapped together confusedly.

"Dad? Crap, I must have missed…" Inoichi recognized instantly the _Shintenshin_ technique of his clan, and his daughter's chakra signature.

"Ino! What on earth are you doing?" He wasn't sure whether to be angry with her actions or pleased that she had been able to execute the jutsu without him sensing her beforehand.

Either way, the worry from just moments ago spiked in him again.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I don't have much time to explain." Chouza's body leaned forward like Ino was about to say something she didn't want others to hear. "I've been placed on a special committee by the Hokage regarding the quarantine, and they have orders for you." He cocked his head in a mixture of surprise and confusion—he was taking orders from his daughter now?

"I need you to go home right now and get Mom—this is an emergency. Stay with your team at all times, for your own safety. Pick up Akimichi-san as well, please. After that, we'll try to meet you at the Nara's but I don't have very long before Hokage-sama expects us back. We're heading there now and I'll explain everything I can to them so even if I'm not there, they'll know everything." She stopped and took a deep, shaky breath.

"If the order for evacuation comes, please listen. Take Mom and head for the Mountain—that's where we'll be sending people. If that doesn't work, the Naras will know where the back-up meeting place is, so go with them." She paused, a worried look on Chouza's face. "This is going to sound strange, but if you come across anyone who looks sick—even just a little shaky or fatigued—stay as far away from them as you can. And _don't_ close yourself in with them."

Inoichi was thoroughly confused, but he could sense the gravity of the situation in her words and actions. Apart from the first Chuunin exams, she had never used the _Shintenshin_ on a comrade before; if she was willing to do so now, this must be serious.

"Tell Chouza-san I'm sorry about this, by the way." She forced a smile on his round face.

"Wait, Ino!" he reached out instinctively as he saw her prepare to release the jutsu. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"Oh!" she chuckled softly, "I'm on top of Hokage Tower." She put a hand behind Chouza's head as though it was an ordinary feat. "Ha, I think I might have beaten your record for farthest Mind-Transfer." Chouza smiled brightly, and Inoichi could see the expression on his daughter's face clearly. He simply stared, dumbfounded, at his daughter in his teammate's body. He couldn't see what she was playing at, although he knew she was deliberately hiding something from him.

"I have to go, Dad. Promise me you'll stay safe?" _What kind of question is that_? he wondered.

"Of course _I'll_ be safe, but what are _you_ doing? What's happening?"

"Stay together, Dad, and don't let Mom or the others out of your sight once you're at the Nara's. I'll see you soon." She forced that smile again; it was tinged with worry this time, though. "I love you, Dad."

Before he even had time to respond Chouza was slumping forward in his chair, his head moving towards the grill again.

Konohagakure Hokage Tower

3:04 hours since Exposure

Naruto stepped out onto the balcony, breathing in the warm, slightly moist air. Around him he could hear the sounds of the village going about their day-to-day business as though nothing were different. As though Tsunade-baa-chan hadn't just closed them off from the rest of the world and put all of their lives in the hands of a seventeen year old boy (a Genin, no less!).

As though this were just another late-summer day exactly like all the ones before it and not the day the entire town could come to a screeching halt.

The village went about its business like it always did; completely unaware of Naruto and the way his life had been turned upside down yet again.

He gripped the smooth wooden rail and closed his eyes, breathing deeply—trying to take in as much of the village as he could—and wondering if what Tsunade-baa-chan had said could be true. Could they really be standing on the brink of destruction? Was this really an enemy even Konohagakure, once hailed as the greatest village in all the Five Nations, couldn't fight? Could this really be one of his last chances to see the village so peaceful?

Could these be the final days of Konoha?

He felt rather than heard the light footsteps of someone else stepping out onto the balcony. He recognized them immediately, and didn't bother to open his eyes and look at his companion. Having worked together for nearly all their lives, they knew each other well enough that oftentimes words weren't necessary between them. He felt the rail shift a little as she leaned up against it, sighing deeply. For a long moment they said nothing, choosing instead to share the peaceful quiet and allowing an entire conversation to pass wordlessly between them.

Eventually, though, the silence grew heavy and filled with emotions—worries and fears and heartaches—that required voices.

"Sakura-chan," he kept his voice soft, aware of the few remaining chakra signatures in the office behind him, "why did you stay?" He twisted his head to face her, needing an honest answer from her. He had to know why she had chosen to stay here with him, rather than go to her own family like all the others. He saw a faint smile pull at her lips, but she didn't move to face him. Instead, she kept her head forward, eyes focused on the buildings below them.

"Baka. Why wouldn't I?"

"But your family— your parents. Why didn't you go to them like everyone else?"

She continued to watch the streets with a distant look in her eyes, taking several moments to think about what she would say before she answered. "They're civilians." she said eventually. "What good would it do for me to worry them now, when they can't do anything about any of this? If the order for evacuation comes, I know they'll listen. They'll be safe. They may not be shinobi, but they can handle themselves." But even as she was speaking, Naruto thought he saw something akin to fear shine in her eyes.

"That's not really what I meant, Sakura-chan. I know your parents can take care of themselves if they have to, but that's not the point. They're your _family_. You should go to them now, before… while we have things under control." For the first time since coming out to the balcony she turned to look at him, a mildly exasperated look on her face.

"They're not my only family, Naruto." She flicked her gaze in the direction of the open doors, prompting him to look inside the room he had recently come to dread.

Leaning up against the desk that was still littered with papers, Kakashi-sensei had his nose stuck in the latest volume of Make-out Paradise. A short distance away from him Sai was standing in front of the mobile pin board, his lips curving in his favorite fake smile when he saw Naruto look into the room.

"Like you said, my parents can take care of themselves. It's you idiots I'm worried about."

Naruto grinned at her words. "Thanks, Sakura." She waved her hand at him lazily, brushing off the comment. "But seriously, I think you should at least go see them. And take Sai with you—I don't want you alone out there till we can figure out exactly what's going on."

For a moment, he thought she was going to argue as she usually did. But then she sighed softly, and he could see the relief in her eyes. "Thanks, Naruto." Not a second later, Sai was standing on the balcony with them, having heard most of the conversation.

"We'll be back soon." There was a flash of movement and the tiniest of winds, and then they were gone.

Konohagakure – Apartment of Yuhi Kurenai

3:06 hours since Exposure

Yuhi Kurenai didn't waste time with the door, choosing instead to enter her small apartment through the open window in one of the back rooms. She didn't wait for Tenzou or Kotetsu to catch up to her, either; she just ran from her bedroom into the main room where she knew Saeko—the babysitter—spent most of her time.

"Yuhi-san?" The young woman's voice was shocked and a touch worried when Kurenai entered the room breathlessly. The Jonin surveyed the room quickly and the tight stab of worry in her chest began to loosen. Everything was as she had left it; there wasn't a single sign that anything was amiss "Is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry, Saeko-chan." Kurenai smiled apologetically, putting one of her hands behind her head. "Something happened at work and… well, I guess it just made me nervous, is all. I just wanted to check up on things here, and make sure you guys were alright."

"Oh." The light haired girl seemed a little confused, "Well, things are fine here. I just put him down for—"

"Mama!" a loud, shrill voice cut her off as a tiny child appeared in the doorway nearest the main room, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear.

"—a nap." Saeko finished in a defeated voice, well aware that there was no way she was going to get him back to bed now.

"Hey, you!" Kurenai smiled brightly and scooped the young boy up in her arms, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Are you sure everything is alright, Yuhi-san? What happened at work?"

"Oh, it was nothing too important. Just a letter Hokage-sama received from one of the neighboring villages." The babysitter opened her mouth to respond, but was stopped by another voice from the front door.

"Kurenai!" Saeko could tell immediately that the man was quite annoyed with her employer. "What was the first thing he said to us, huh?" A tall man in ANBU gear stormed into the room, an exasperated look on his face. Behind him, the third member of their group remained in the doorway, leaning against the jam casually despite the way his eyes revealed how uncomfortable he was. Kurenai laughed nervously.

"'Don't split up!'" she and the ANBU said in unison.

"I know, I know…" Kurenai and Tenzou fell into a soft debate about her actions, but Saeko didn't hear them. Her eyes were glued to the man in the doorway, her breath hitching in strange way. Instinctually, she stepped towards Kurenai and Asuma, Jr., knowing that her employer had lied to her.

If Kurenai-san was simply nervous about a letter from another village, then why on earth was she with two shinobi escorts—neither of whom Saeko recognized as being members of her former team, and one who had dark stains covering his clothing? She may not have been a kunoichi, but she recognized blood when she saw it.

"Yu-Yuhi-san?" she stammered, still not looking away from him. Kotetsu saw her staring and immediately his body tensed, a light blush smearing across his cheeks. Clenching his jaw angrily, he turned his head away from them. Kurenai, too, followed the startled young woman's gaze and realized what she was asking. Inwardly, she cursed herself for not having remembered his appearance and planned around it.

"It's nothing to worry about, Saeko-chan, I promise. We just ran into a little trouble earlier, that's all. We're all fine." Saeko was surprised when she realized that Kurenai's words were doing nothing to comfort her—she was still just as frightened.

Kurenai realized that as long as Kotetsu was in the room, Saeko was going to remain scared. "Well I'm sorry to have bothered you guys." She squeezed her son in a tight hug, obviously preparing to leave again. "We should probably head back, though." Tenzou and Kotetsu both turned to look at her, nodding.

The men walked back outside, giving her a semblance of privacy as she said goodbye. "Mama leave?" Asuma, Jr.'s eyes were wide with disbelief.

"I'm sorry, honey, but Mama has to go back to work." He frowned deeply, his eyes filling with water. "Oh, come on now," she said with a smile, lightly tapping his nose with her finger. "none of that. Saeko-san will still be here." He didn't seem at all placated, instead giving her the silent treatment as he pointedly turned his head away. She bit her lip against a chuckle at his behavior and walked to Saeko so she could hand the boy over to her.

"Listen, Saeko," she lowered her voice, trying not to let her son overhear them. "If anything… strange happens today and you end up needing to leave, I'm giving you full permission to take him with you, alright? I'll be able to find you, I promise." Now Saeko was really confused: why would she need to leave? "I'm not saying anything _will_ happen, so please don't worry, but… well, you know- Just in case." She forced a smile, but it never reached her eyes and only served to make Saeko worry even more.

Just what had happened that Kurenai, of all people, would leave her team and come rushing home like this? She thought about the first thing the ANBU shinobi had said, and her eyebrows pulled together. Who were these men, anyway? And why wasn't Kurenai allowed to leave them? And who was the "he" that had sent them?

Saeko opened her mouth to ask one of the dozens of questions spinning around in her head, but was cut off when Kurenai disappeared with a tiny flicker.

Konohagakure Hokage Tower – Rooftop

3:08 hours since Exposure

To anyone passing by on the street below, there was nothing remotely strange about the trio on top of Hokage Tower. After all, shinobi and academy students often went to the small platform there to look at the faces of the previous Hokages.

But if anyone were to chance a second look they would notice several very odd things: the way the blonde girl was slumped against one of her companions, for instance, or the very tense expression both of the young men were wearing. Or, most notably, the way that they were _not_ looking up at the great stone monument but were actually facing _away_ from it, looking down at the village.

Luckily for the trio, nobody bothered a second glance.

Nara Shikamaru felt his teammate's body tense beneath his grip and recognized that she was coming back to herself. He waited until he felt her begin to lightly shake her head before letting go of her arms.

"Well, what happened?" Chouji asked quickly, more like a demand than a question. "What did Dad say?"

"I missed." Ino responded simply, with a small frown. They stared at her, disbelieving.

In all the years they had worked together Shikamaru could count on one hand the number of times Ino had missed with her _Shintenshin_. Of course they had known it was a gamble trying to reach their fathers' favorite restaurant from here, but when she had been gone so long, they had both assumed she'd been successful. It was almost unthinkable that she had spent so much chakra—and wasted what precious little time they had—for nothing.

"But _my_ father agreed to meet us at the Nara's, with Akimichi-san and my mom." Ino smiled playfully; aware of the havoc she had just wreaked on her teammates nerves.

"Come on, Ino, don't do that!" Chouji muttered angrily, despite the way relief flooded his body.

"Sorry," she giggled unapologetically, stretching the muscles in her back. Shikamaru just rolled his eyes at their exchange; he knew that she was only trying to alleviate the tenseness of the day's events, but he was unable to relax himself.

"Come on guys, we should get going." After just one look at the expression on Shikamaru's face, they both sobered up immediately. Normally too lazy to show his emotions, the obvious worry etched in his face—the fear in his eyes—would have been enough to unnerve even Asuma.

"Let's go."

Konohagakure – Veterinary Clinic

3:09 hours since Exposure

"Oi, nee-chan!" Inuzuka Kiba was yelling before he even entered the Clinic, much to Hana's dismay.

_As if the animals weren't restless enough…_ she thought, highly annoyed.

"What on earth are you doing, Kiba?" she called back, storming angrily to the front of the building. "And shouldn't you be on that 'super-awesome' mis—" she stopped short when her not-so-little brother came running through the doorway, nearly plowing right into her. Akamaru was only a step behind him.

"Where's Mom?" he demanded.

"I don't know!" she said defensively. Kiba practically growled with frustration at her unsatisfactory answer. "Kami, Kiba, calm down already—you're freaking me out. What's going on?" Hana could sense the chakra signatures of two other people in the hallway, and recognized his teammates almost immediately. "Where's Kurenai-san, did something happen?"

He shook his head quickly. "No—well, yes, but are you sure you have no idea where Mom is? I have to talk to you guys immediately. It's important."

"She and Kuromaru went for lunch. They're probably at home, but—"

Kiba cut her off, cursing. "We don't have time for this!" he grumbled, more to himself than Hana.

"Otouto!" she chastised, "Watch your language!"

"Look, I gotta go." Kiba ignored her scolding entirely, instead turning his gaze to her and fixing her with an intense stare. "I need you to take the Haimaru siblings and go find Mom. Stay with her, no matter what happens. Go home and stay there, just avoid the town for a while. Make sure the emergency packs are ready to go, just in case—"

"Kiba, stop!" she said sharply, interrupting him. "What's going on?"

He groaned in frustration. "It's hard to explain… Look, what I'm about to tell you is top-secret; I'm disobeying a direct order from the Hokage by telling you." She opened her mouth to argue—to tell him that if that was the case, he should just shut up and listen to the Hokage—but he waved a hand quickly, telling her to just listen. "You can yell at me later, nee-chan. Tsunade-sama is dead and Naruto's been named Hokage in her place, at least for now." Hana didn't even have time to be properly surprised before he continued on, his words coming faster and faster. "More than likely, he's going to order an evacuation of the village when the quarantine fails to keep the infection out. Listen to me, nee-chan, _don't do it._ Don't go to the mountain with everyone else. All it takes is one infected person and everyone in the tunnels would die: don't take that chance. Just stay at home with Mom, okay?"

"K-Kiba…" she stammered, unable to process everything he was telling her. "What are you talking about? What infection? What do you mean Tsunade-sama's dead?"

"They're keeping it secret for now, trying to prevent panic, but she got the infection. That's why they closed the gates—their trying to keep it out of Konoha. But don't you see? Tsunade already had it! It's already inside the village, that's why you can't risk going with the others."

Hana was completely speechless, trying to make sense of everything he was saying. She wasn't having much success. She glanced over her brother's shoulder, avoiding the almost frantic look in his eyes. Standing in the doorway was his teammate—the one with the bugs—who was watching the scene closely.

"Nee-chan…" Kiba's eyes softened slightly. "I have to go; Naruto is expecting us back quickly. Find Mom. Go home. Please."

She couldn't remember the last time he had said 'please' to her. Or, for that matter, the last time he had been so panicked. In that moment, she believed him. How could she not?

She swallowed and nodded. Kiba sighed in relief. "Don't tell anyone about the Hokage or infection—panic won't help matters at all." He surprised her by reaching out and wrapping her in a quick hug. "I'll see you soon, Hana-chan."

Konohagakure – Nara Compound

3:15 hours since Exposure

When Shikamaru finally came home, it was not at all how his mother expected him to. Normally, her son was calm and apathetic about everything he did—exactly like his father—and he almost never announced when he got back. There were some days she didn't even realize he was back until he joined them for dinner.

Today was not one of those days.

"Mom!" he yelled, barely pausing in the doorway to kick off his sandals, "Dad!" In his entire life, Yoshino wasn't sure he had ever been so loud. Wooden spoon in hand, she stormed out of the kitchen, ready to 'teach' some manners to her son. Fortunately for him, when she rounded the corner he was already safely out of her reach, digging through the closet nearest the front door.

When she saw him throw their emergency packs into the main hall her anger melted away, replaced by a sense of worry.

"Shika-kun? What's going on?"

"Mom!" in a flash, he was standing in front of her gripping her arms firmly. Looking at him, she saw a storm of emotions in his eyes. Of course, this did nothing to alleviate her worry. "Where's dad?"

"I'm right here." A bored-sounding voice answered from the hall that lead to the rear of their house and a moment later Shikaku entered the main room. "What's all the noise about?" Yoshino's frown deepened as she watched her son sigh, a slightly relieved expression on his face.

"Shikamaru-kun, what's going on? What did Hokage-sama want this morning?" her tone made it quite clear that she wanted answers, and quickly. He paused for a moment, letting go of her arms and frowning slightly. It was an expression she was more than a little familiar with, and she knew that whatever he was thinking about, it probably wasn't good news.

"You heard about the quarantine, right?" he glanced between his parents' faces, refusing to hold either of their gazes for more than a few moments.

"Of course we heard about the quarantine, baka. Who hasn't?" Shikaku answered, sounding almost annoyed.

"It's more serious than they're letting on—that's what the Hokage wanted to see me about. We know of at least 7 hidden villages that've been completely decimated already, and the reports only started coming in yesterday." Yoshino took in a sharp breath—seven shinobi villages in a _day_? With eyebrows pulled together in a confused frown, her husband moved to her side, facing Shikamaru.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We're not really sure, but Konoha's already been exposed to it—that's why the quarantine was ordered." Yoshino opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off. "I don't have a lot of time—I need to get back to the others— I don't know when I'll be back here. While I'm gone, I need you to stay together, alright? The Akimichis and Yamanakas are on their way, and once they get here I want you all to avoid the village as much you can, at least for now.

"Keep the emergency packs on hand, too. You need to be ready when the evacuation order comes."

"Evacuation order?" Yoshino cried, "For what?"

"Calm down, Mom." He answered, although his expression was anything but calm. "We're fairly sure we've gotten it contained, but the infection is already inside the gates. The evacuation is just a back-up plan, in case things get out of hand."

"You seem pretty sure it's gonna happen, though." Shikaku commented, his forehead still furrowed.

"Well, yeah." He paused, as though trying to figure out the best way to say something. "The thing is, Tsunade-sama's never seen anything like this before. And when she was treating a patient with it, she… She became infected herself."

"That quickly?"

Shikamaru nodded and was about to say something else when a sound from outside the house caught their attention.

Someone was screaming.

Konohagakure – Hyuuga Compound

3:21 hours since Exposure

Standing outside the door to her father's favorite training area, Hinata wasn't quite sure if she should do this anymore. All her life, she had been taught never to interrupt her father even when he was only training. Any other day, she wouldn't even consider it.

But today was different.

Hesitantly, she reached out and slid the door open. Her father didn't look up, or even acknowledge her presence. He was sitting in the center of the bare room, his legs crossed and eyes closed in meditation.

"F-father?" she stammered. She watched as his eye twitched almost imperceptibly before he inhaled deeply, and opened them.

Looking at his annoyed expression, she was reminded of the way her cousin would always glare at her whenever she interrupted his meditation. Her thoughts slid quickly from her cousin to her younger sister. Her sister, who had only become a Genin last month.

Suddenly, she knew exactly what to do—what to say.

"What is it, Hinata?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" her voice was as a soft as it always was, but it was clearly a demand that required an answer. "Why didn't you tell me she was going outside the village?"

He didn't hesitate with his answer, as though he had been expecting this question from his eldest daughter. "Hanabi is a shinobi now, just as you are. She will not always be able to fulfill her duty to Konoha by remaining behind its walls." His voice was calm and completely impartial, which only fueled her anger. "Weren't you assigned a mission outside the village today, as well?"

"The gates were shut—we couldn't go."

"Ah, yes. I'd forgotten about that."

Something in her snapped. Hinata walked across the room quickly, her feet making light slapping noises against the wood as she came to stand before him. "How can you be so calm about this?" she demanded, her voice rising slightly. "She's your daughter!"

"Hinata!" he snapped, angry and perfectly calm all at once, in a way only members of the Hyuuga Clan could be. "Calm yourself. When the gates reopen, she and her team will be back."

"You don't get it, do you?" her stomach twisted as she forced herself to voice the fear that she had been refusing to admit. "I've been with the Hokage all morning; the gates aren't going to open again! Everyone in the field has been abandoned! Hanabi and Neji are both—" she broke off, choking back the tears in her eyes.

Hyuuga Hiashi frowned deeply, but Hinata couldn't tell what it was about her words that had upset him—the loud, undignified manner in which she had yelled, or the meaning behind them.

"What are you talking about, Hinata?" he asked slowly, rising to his feet.

"There's this infection… Tsu—" she choked again, unable to force the name past her lips. "Hokage-sama couldn't risk it getting into the village by waiting on the field teams to get back." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "She abandoned them…" Tense silence reined the room for several long moments.

At last, Hiashi opened his mouth. "I'm sure Tsunade-hime did what she felt was the best for the village." Hinata visibly flinched at the mention of the legendary Sannin's name. "I'm sure she didn't act lightly or without thought. The title of Hokage means having to make choices most of us couldn't even imagine." She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not, but she thought her father's voice sounded faintly strained.

"So what?" she demanded, her voice filled with resentment she knew wasn't wholly deserved. "We're supposed to just forget them? We're supposed to give up on them?"

"Shinobi are prepared to give their life at any time for this village."

Hinata was dumbfounded.

Her mouth opened and closed as she sought adequate words to express her shock. At length, she settled for something that wasn't even a shadow of all that she felt.

"I can't believe you…" she whispered, finally allowing the tears in her eyes to leak onto her cheek. "You would forget your own family so easily?" His jaw clenched, and she knew he wasn't going to say anything more. Turning quickly she walked back to the door, wanting—needing—to be anywhere but here with her father.

As she came to the still-open doorway, she remembered the reason she had come here in the first place.

"By the way, father," she placed her hand on the doorway, turning her head so she would be sure he could hear her quiet words, "it didn't work. The infection's already inside Konoha. In the end…

"We forsook them for nothing. Be ready to evacuate."

Konohagakure – Kamizuki Home

3:26 hours since Exposure

Hagane Kotetsu swallowed against the lump in his throat. In his entire career—his entire life—he had never had a more difficult job than this. As he stared at the apartment door, trying to garner the courage to knock, he remembered how the girl at Kurenai's apartment had looked at him with such blatant fear and wished he had at least been able to clean up.

Standing several meters down the hall, the ANBU member from the gate—Kurenai had called him Tenzou, he vaguely recalled—softly cleared his throat. Kotetsu understood what he really meant.

Breathing deeply, he reached up and rapped his knuckles on the door.

The next few moments felt like an eternity.

When the door opened, a familiar face greeted him. The woman was in her fifties, with light wrinkles beginning to crease her forehead, and grey had finally overtaken the brown in her hair. Looking at the woman who was like a second mother to him, he felt his eyes begin to sting again.

She opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing as her eyes traveled over his gory clothing. When she looked back at his face, taking in his grim expression, he saw her smile begin to fade, replaced with horror. He could see in her eyes the way the realization hit her. As the light in her eyes dimmed, the pieces of his heart broke once more.

"I—I'm sorry, Kamizuki-san." He whispered gruffly.

She collapsed to her knees, landing harshly on the floor with a _thump_. Not a moment later he was kneeling as well, reaching out to her. When she clamped her hands around his arm, her grip was surprisingly strong.

"H-how?" she whispered past the tears pouring silently down her face, fixing him with a desperate, heartbroken gaze.

"How did my son," her voice cracked, "my Izumo-kun, die?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> *sniffle*

About the Naruto-Sakura relationship... Sorry, NaruSaku fans, but there won't be any of that in this fic. I don't know how many of you picked up on it, but this is set when the 'Rookie Nine' are about 17. BUT, I'm sort of just picking and choosing which events from Shippuden to include-sorry if it gets confusing. I tell you this because it means Team 7 has been split up for nearly 5 years by the time this takes place. I've always loved the idea that Sasuke's absence could potentially bring Naruto and Sakura closer together in a PLATONIC way, so that's the premise for their relationship in this. It's sort of a best-friends-but-not-really feeling, ya know? At least, that's what I'm going for. ^^'

I wish I could just leave it at that, but I would like to be fair to y'all and give you a heads about my schedule: classes started back this week, and with 2 histories and a lit, (among other things) I have a HUGE workload this semester. I apologize in advance if I take forever to update.

**Coming Soon** [hopefully]: Chapter Seven - I Know

**Sneak Peek:** There is none. ^^' Sorry!


	7. I Know

**AN:** And, in a complete reversal of the last chapter, short chapter is very short. And fairly straightforward... And yes, the formatting and length are intentional.

**Heads up: **Gore. Character death. Minor yaoi (like, very minor).

The soundtrack (for the seond half anyway) is Tears of Angel, by RyanDan. It was stuck in my head the entire time I was writing this, and when I finished I actually listened to the song while I edited it. I was amazed how well they fit...

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><p><strong>Chapter Seven – I Know <strong>

_Konohagakure – Main Gate_

_EXPOSURE_

_Kotetsu watched as the medics tried to pull the young kunoichi away from her teammate. She was on the verge of hysterics, and refused to leave the Honorable Grandson's side. _

_Sharing a knowing look with Izumo, Kotetsu felt his anger melt away, replaced with pity. Unfortunately, this was a situation they were familiar with (it was a common reaction among shinobi of any rank to refuse to leave wounded teammates at gate) and Izumo ran to offer what help he could; of the two of them, Izumo was _definitely _better with the emotional side of their job. They had learned a long time ago that Kotetsu usually only made these situations worse._

_After a brief struggle, the medics and Izumo succeeded in pulling the two young shinobi away from one another. Konohamaru slumped to the ground quickly, and immediately three of the medics were at his side. Izumo stayed with the still-hysterical Moegi, trying with little success to calm her; she continued to call Konohamaru's name and struggle against Izumo and the other medic's firm hold on her. She could struggle all she wanted to, but as far as Kotetsu was concerned, they had the situation under control. _

_Still, Kotetsu couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that was gnawing at him. _

_Feeling oddly useless, he watched on as Konohamaru—who he had thought was unconscious—began to stuggle against the medics as well. Seeing him awake, Moegi redoubled her efforts and managed to wrench herself away from Izumo and move toward her teammate. When she pushed one of the men around him out of the way, Konohamaru turned and began reaching out to her, making a strange moaning sound._

_For a brief moment, Kotetsu felt a twinge of pity for the two Genin as he attributed their behavior to being emotionally traumatized._

_It wasn't until the screaming started that he realized what his instincts had been trying to tell him._

_That small moment of pity was short lived, because the moment Konohamaru was able to grab her Kotetsu knew something was very, _very_ wrong. Moving faster than he had thought the boy would be able to, Konohamaru lurched forward and sunk his teeth into his teammate._

_For the smallest of moments, it seemed as though the entire world was paralyzed; the shock of this small boy's actions rooting everyone in place._

_Then he saw Izumo moving, and his brain kicked back into gear. Moegi opened her mouth and began screaming—high and amazingly loud, the sound drew the attention of everyone in the area. The atmosphere at the Main Gate descended into total chaos as even ANBU from the wall jumped down to try and separate the two. _

_Izumo may have been better with emotions but when they escalated to situations like these, situations where force was more important than finesse, that was where Kotetsu had his forte. In a flash, he was kneeling opposite Izumo, the two struggling Genin between them. Judging by the amount of blood pouring from the girl's shoulder, the wound was deep. The way Konohamaru was jerking his head back and forth probably wasn't helping, either._

_"I'm sorry, Honorable Grandson." He said, before forcing his fingers under the boy's impossibly firm grip and yanking back with enough force to break the wrist. Astonishingly, the child didn't even react. _What the hell is wrong with this kid? _Kotetsu wondered._

_Konohamaru opened his mouth and pulled back from Moegi, preparing to lurch forward again and resecure his hold on her. Izumo seized the slim opening and forced himself between the two, pushing Konohamaru away from Moegi. _

_She was still screaming loudly as she fell backwards and scrambled away from them, but Kotetsu could see how white her skin was. He was no med-nin, but any shinobi worth their salt could tell when someone had lost too much blood or was going into shock—Moegi fell into both those categories. _

_He tried to catch her as she collapsed onto her back, but the gore on her arm made her slide right through his hands. On the ground, several medics set about the task of restraining her writhing form. Seeing that he wasn't needed there, he shifted his attention back to Konohamaru—who had somehow managed to climb to his feet—and the group of ANBU who were trying to subdue him._

_With a startled cry one of the men jerked and stumbled away from the group, cradling a bleeding hand to his stomach. Kotetsu's thoughts immediately jumped to Izumo and the need to assure his safety. He cast his gaze around the area, and saw him on the ground behind the struggling group, jaw clenched as he pushed himself off the ground._

Izumo-kun…_ Relief flooded him as he saw that he appeared unharmed. _

_A second ANBU collapsed to the ground, also bleeding, and Kotetsu realized they were going to have to use lethal force on the boy if they were going to stop him. The Genin rounded on Kotetsu._

_Izumo yelled as he threw himself at Konohamaru from behind, knocking him several meters as they both crashed to the ground again, and lowered a kunai to the boy's neck._

_"Kono-kun, stop!" he cried. But the boy wouldn't listen to reason. Opening his mouth wide, he made a loud moaning noise and arched his back, upsetting Izumo's hold on him. Kotetsu was moving towards them as fast as he was able, his own Kunai drawn._

_Something in the back of his mind was whispering that he wouldn't make it in time, but he shoved it away. Konohamaru twisted clumsily until he was facing the man pinning him down._

_The world seemed to move in slow motion as Kotetsu watched the Genin pull himself up to Izumo's face._

_His ears were deaf to the world as he saw the blood splash into the Honorable Grandson's dark hair. _

_The pair rolled, and suddenly Izumo was the one being pinned down. _

_He wasn't sure when he'd started yelling, but when Kotetsu's knife smashed into the back of Konohamaru's head, the dull crunching sound it made was entirely drowned out by his roar. He yanked the knife back and felt something warm splash across his face. With his knee, he shoved the boy off his friend. _

_Rolling to the side, the gore-covered boy finally went limp and stopped moving._

_Kotetsu's attention was fully on Izumo, though, and he became completely oblivious to the fight around him as he knelt by his side. He fought the panic that flared in him as Izumo rolled to the side, coughing and splattering blood into dirt. _

_"I-Izumo-kun?" Kotetsu was having trouble processing what was happening._

_From the ground, Izumo attempted a smile at his dark-haired companion. "S-so much for boring..." _

_"Yeah, well I think I preferred sleeping. Now be quiet and let me fix this." He answered quickly, his words clipped as he searched Izumo's body for any other signs of injury. Izumo must have realized what he was doing because he reached up and loosely gripped Kotetsu's hand, guiding it to a spot on his side just below his left arm. Kotetsu tried to ignore how badly his hands were shaking as he pushed down against the large, circular wound, vainly trying to staunch the flow of blood._

_Somewhere in the back of his mind the voice spoke up again, whispering that it was too little, too late._

_"K-Kotetsu…" Izumo's eyes were wide, and the cheek that wasn't bloody was ghostly white. Something splashed on his skin and rolled to the stained dirt, leaving a pink trail behind it. "Don't cry, Kotetsu…" Slowly and with trembling fingers, Izumo reached up with his free hand, brushing his fingers across Kotetsu's cheek. "I hate it… when you're sad…"_

_"Will you please just stop talking?" In his life Kotetsu had seen enough people die to know it was never good when they started talking like Izumo was now. But despite himself, he found his hand reaching up to wrap around Izumo's. _

_"This won't be forever…" he coughed slightly, and Kotetsu could hear his breath rattling in his chest._

_"Shut up and stop talking like that!" he said forcefully, wishing with everything in him that what he was saying was true. "Of course it won't, because nothing's gonna happen to you! You're my best friend, I'm not gonna let you go that easily!" _

_A mock frown pulled weakly at Izumo's lips. "Th-that's all… I am…?"_

_"Don't be an idiot, of course that's not all. You know that." _

_"Wh-what… do I know?" Kotetsu realized what he was really asking for, and gave in to him. He moved the red-soaked hand on his chest to the side of Izumo's face, brushing his thumb across his cheek. Inwardly, he frowned as the action left a streak of crimson on his cheek. _

_"I love you." He whispered._

_Izumo smiled. "I know. It's just… nice to hear…" his eyelids fluttered shut, making Kotetsu's grip on his hand tighten._

_"Stop it, Izumo-kun, you're not gonna die! Not here, not now!" _

_But the voice in the back of his mind was whispering that that wasn't true._

_"Just so you know…" his eyes opened slightly, but he still had to lean in close to hear his quiet words. "I love you, too." _

_"I know…"_

_This time, when Izumo's eyes slipped closed, Kotetsu knew it was different. He could _feel _it._

_"No!" he cried, "Wake up, Izumo!" He shook his shoulders lightly, bunching the material of his shirt in his hands. "Get up!" he yelled "Open your eyes, dammit!" _

_But Izumo-kun was gone._

_The fight drained out of him and he allowed his head to slip forward, the soft _clink _of their hitai-ate headbands resounding through the air. He didn't even realize it was quiet again._

_For the first time in his life Kotetsu cried openly, with no regard for anyone else. _

"_Wake up, Izumo… Please…" _

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Don't hurt me, please.

And with this, we've reached the end of my pre-written chapters. :/ I'm workin' just as fast as I can on this, but unfortunately, school is a bear right now. (Honestly, I shouldn't even be posting this right now, I have so much other work to do...)

**Coming Soon**: Chapter 8 - Safety

**Sneak Peek**: "_This isn't what was supposed to happen._

_They were supposed to be safe here—the high ground. The Infected weren't supposed to be able to climb the stairs. They should've been safe on the rooftop…_

_..._

_The world wasn't supposed to fall apart so easily."_


	8. Safety

**AN: **Hey! Unfortunately, my wonderful Beta, CrazyInsomaniac, and I are both having some technical difficulties. As such, this chapter only went through one round of edits; sorry if it's not quite up to par with the rest of the story. ^^' I really wanted to upload, though, since it's been a while since my last one... Anywho, enjoy the next chapter, and check the end for an announcement. ;)

**Heads up: **Implied character death; angst.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Safety<strong>

Forest – Outside Konohagakure

Days since Outbreak: 2

Tenten slammed to a sudden stop, catching herself on rough bark as she crouched in the branches of the tree. Her eyes widened as she stared disbelievingly over the wall and into her village. There were so many things wrong with the scene before her… She knew they'd been gone for a while, but that hadn't been away for _that _long, had they?

On either side of her, Neji and Lee also stopped. Neji's jaw dropped lightly, and Lee gasped aloud—the first sound he had made since that morning.

"Oh, gods…" she breathed, trying to comprehend the state of things.

She wasn't sure what caught her attention first. Was it the closed gates? The gates of Konoha were _never_ closed. Was it the lack of guards on the Wall? Village policy held that if the gates _were_ shut there should also be an increased guard presence. Was it the ominous pillar of black smoke curling up from the southern portion of the village? Was it the occasional flicker of orange beneath the cloud-like darkness? Was it the way she still heard echoes of screams, carried on the wind?

Or was it the large sign posted on the gates, sealing them shut?

From her position, she could just make out the huge, red words:

KEEP OUT

QUARANTINE IN EFFECT

Beneath that, she could see other papers and graffiti stuck to the wood.

"Neji?" she turned to him with questioning eyes, cursing the way she felt shocked tears prickling in them. He nodded, understanding what she couldn't find words to ask.

"Byakugan!" his eyes strained as he looked toward the gates. His teammates watched him expectantly, waiting for him to reveal what he saw. Fear tightened its hold on her chest when he sucked in a surprised gasp.

"What is it, Neji?"

"Letters, notes… a few photos…." He paused, leaning forward slightly as he read some aloud. "'May the gods have mercy'… 'Good luck'… 'I'm sorry…'" he paused, "There are notes from other teams, they must have also been outside the gate whenever it was sealed. There are foreigners looking for relatives, friends, safe haven… Wait, I think there's one addressed to _us_." Tenten made a surprised sound.

"For us?" Lee repeated, his voice rough.

"'Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Gai,'" he read, by way of answer, "'We hope you get a chance to read this, before…'" he stopped, redirecting his gaze to Tenten. "I think you should read this for yourselves." She nodded, a hard lump forming in her throat.

So Konoha wasn't safe, either. They had heard rumors on the road, whispers of a madness taking over the five great nations, but they hadn't believed them. Not until this morning. Not until Gai-sensei….

But even then, they had hoped Konoha would still be safe. They hadn't heard anything of their home for days now, and she'd spent that time telling herself that perhaps having no news was good news.

She'd been wrong.

Neji used his Byakugan to check the road and surrounding woods. When he gave the all-clear, Tenten was the first on the ground, running straight for the gates.

**Kumogakure – ANBU District**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

Ito Fuyuki's fist slammed against the sheet of metal behind her, her jaw clenching angrily. The loud, hollow sound it made hadn't even finished ringing through the air when the chorus of equally loud moans started; despite the wall of steel between them, they were still clear in her ears.

This isn't what was supposed to happen.

They were supposed to be safe here—the high ground. The Infected weren't supposed to be able to climb the stairs. They should've been safe on the rooftop…

Where were they supposed to go now, anyway? The plan had been to leave the village after restocking –and recuperating—at the ANBU District, but there was no way that was going to work now. The ANBU District was overrun; the rooftops were the only safe places…

Or so they thought. But apparently they'd misjudged their enemy—again. They were supposed to be slow and uncoordinated—something a shinobi could handle easily. They shouldn't have been able to climb the stairs. Their only strength was their numbers. There were just so many of them…

And that damned _moan!_

She was so sick of that sound. It was everywhere she went, all the time. If They knew you were there—and somehow, They always knew you were there—They made that god-awful, never-ending noise! And the others answered it. They came to it. It was like They were calling to each other, telling everyone where the food was. And suddenly, where there had only been one of the damned things, there were 20. And they moaned, too, bringing still more of Them down on you. Even the best shinobi could fall to Them that way—she'd seen it happen.

It had only been 3 days since this all started—three days!—and Kumogakure had already fallen…

That was another thing that wasn't supposed to happen.

The world wasn't supposed to fall apart so easily.

**Kirigakure – Wall**

**Days since Outbreak: 5**

The senbon slid from his fingers easily, slicing through the air with the lightest of whistles. He knew immediately that it was going hit its mark—which meant it was time to go.

With familiar, practiced movements he flung himself off the top of the wall, springing into the air and arching into a wide backflip. He heard the instant the tiny needle hit the paper tag and closed his eyes, enjoying the exhilarating rush of freefalling.

The air behind him shattered in a blast of heat and sound and light that was blinding even to his closed eyes. For a brief moment—one that felt like eternity—the entire world disappeared, swallowed up by the explosion. He felt the flames reach out to him, tickling his clothes and lapping at his skin.

The whole thing was a little surreal, really. The world was nothing more than him and the flames.

Unfortunately for him, though, he was _not_ alone in the world. His companions were safely on the ground, watching him carefully.

"Tch. Showoff." Yamanaka Kamiko scoffed. Under normal circumstances, she would have rolled her eyes at Ayumaru's behavior; currently, however, her eyes were glued to the youngest member of their new team and she found herself curiously unable to look away.

"Yeah…" Kazuta drawled distractedly, "But he does look awesome—like an action movie or something." A smile played on his lips.

She couldn't deny it. The look of absolute determination on his face before he had thrown the senbon was impressive even by her standards. His dismount from the wall—while a little over-the-top—was admirable, as well. Even now, she watched with sick fascination as he plummeted head-first toward the ground with outstretched arms, his body nothing more than a black smudge of a silhouette against the brilliant fireball.

As he fell below the top of the wall again, his body came back into focus and she saw the look of pure joy on his face. And his closed eyes. Her breath hitched as she watched him come closer and closer to the ground.

At the last possible moment, he finished the flip and his feet landed harshly on the packed dirt. He allowed himself to move with the momentum and slid seamlessly into a backwards somersault. When he finally rolled to a stop, he was crouched in the sparse grass, one knee on the trembling ground, the other supporting his elbow. The smirk plastered to his lips was oddly endearing.

The roaring sound of the explosion withdrew from them, although the ground still shook violently beneath her feet. She glanced back at the top of the wall and watched the orange glow recede to the center of the Village, a satisfied smirk tugging at her own lips.

The plan was off to a fantastic start. Or at least, the chain of paper bombs was working, creating a stream of fire snaking from the Wall to the center of the village. It had taken more than two days to litter the rooftops with their destructive slips, but they were finally beginning to see results.

Only time would tell if they were successful in clearing the village of Infected.

**Kumogakure – ANBU District**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

Endo Kin bit his lip and tried not to whimper as a loud crash echoed through the air, immediately followed by the renewal of Their moans. Instead, he pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. The rest of their ragtag group sighed. He knew why—he was young, not stupid—but didn't really care. So what if the woman drew attention to them by making so much noise? It's not like They didn't know where they were. The monsters, whatever they were, followed them everywhere. Their group had been hearing the moans for three days straight now—and it was clearly beginning to wear on everyone.

The woman (the one who had just walked away moments ago, without a word of explanation) was growing even more irritable with every passing minute. Honestly, Kin was kind of glad she had left—she was beginning to scare him. She lost her temper easily, and was prone to yelling at the rest of them.

Kin's eyes flicked across their small circle to Naoki, watching as he sighed and shifted to a more relaxed position—stretching his arms out behind him and leaning on his palms. The man's eyes remained glued on the small metal box that enclosed the stairway to the roof—the one the woman had just retreated behind. Not for the first time, Kin wondered what past they must share; what history they had together than would explain the way Naoki watched her—or the way she pointedly ignored him.

The older man's eyes shifted to look directly at Kin. As Kin immediately looked down, a smear of pink on his cheeks, he almost missed the bright smile Naoki flashed.

That was it—the reason Naoki was, aside from his sister, Kin's favorite person in their makeshift team. While everyone else was busy wallowing in self-pity or being angry or simply denying the situation, he was smiling. He accepted their situation and seemed to have taken it upon himself to remain strong. It was alright if they wanted to cry, because Naoki would remain dry-eyed for them. It was alright if they wanted to be scared, because Naoki would be brave for them all. It was alright if they wanted to scream and yell and curse the gods for their fate, because Naoki would remain quiet, calm and understanding for them. It was alright if they wanted nothing more than to crumble beneath the pressure and fade away, like so many of their companions, because Naoki would be strong for them. And he did it all with a smile.

But Kin wasn't stupid. He wondered just how long that smile could last, before even it cracked.

An obnoxious, overly-dramatic yawn pulled Kin's attention to the second youngest member of their group, who was sitting on the other side of his sister. The Genin was different from Kin in every way he could possibly think of. His name was Noboro—he never let you forget it—and he was loud, cocky, and self-centered. At least, that's how he tried to look. He was constantly showing off and doing things that even Kin knew were really dumb.

Like the day this all started, when he'd said he would climb to the roof of the building using just his feet. At first Kin had been impressed-his own chakra control wasn't good enough to let him climb like that, and Sayuri had had to carry him on her back—but then Noboro quit paying attention to his surroundings, and walked past an open window. Immediately one of Them lurched out of it, reaching for the Genin as though her life depended upon it. Startled, he'd slipped and started falling, the monster grabbing his shirt.

If it weren't for the Raikage, he'd have fallen all the way to the ground, the woman still trying to bite him. Luckily for Noboro, the old man wasn't as slow as he seemed. Unfortunately for the rest of them, his brush with death—literally—had done nothing to deflate his ego.

For all he tried to be tough though, Kin had heard him last night, when he thought everyone else was asleep; Noboro cried, just like the rest of them.

And they _did_ cry—every one of them. It was just a matter of when, how often, and how loudly; whether they cried openly before their companions , whether they hid their pain from the rest of the group, whether they pretended to have no tears, though their bloodshot eyes betrayed them, whether they sobbed brokenly in the dead of night, or whether they wept bitterly on the shoulder of a brother they thought was sleeping, they all cried.

Perhaps he was biased, but it was Sayuri whose tears hurt Kin the most. His sister was not a weak girl—she was only 16 and already a skilled Chuunin. She had spent countless hours helping him hone his own skills, despite being exhausted by her work. She had defended his desire to join the Academy to their parents, and she had taken care of him single-handedly since their deaths a year and a half ago. In all that time, he had never seen her break, never seen her show any of the pain he knew she must be feeling.

Not until last night. Not until he had awoken to her arms tightening around him and her shoulders trembling ever-so-slightly.

No sound, not even the ever-present moans of whatever They were, would ever scare him as much as her whimpering had.

**Konohagakure – Outside the Main Gate**

**Days since Outbreak: 2**

It was worse than she had realized. From her place in the trees, she hadn't realized how _much_ was attached to these rough wooden gates. She wondered how long they had been shut, that so many slips and scrolls and sheets had amassed outside them.

Fighting the moisture in them, she raked her eyes over the mass hungrily, searching for the letter Neji had mentioned. The one for them. The one that would explain what was going on. _It would, wouldn't it?_ The one that said not everything had been lost. _It couldn't be, could it?_ The one that told them what to do, where to go to wait this out. _It was just a matter of time, wasn't it?_ The one that said they hadn't been forgotten. _They hadn't, had they?_

Lee was standing next to her (_when had he gotten there?_) when she saw it. She felt Neji's eyes on her as she reached up, her fingers trembling slightly, to pluck it from the others.

_'Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Gai…'_ She swallowed, sharing a glance with her teammates. Together, they crowded around the sheet of paper to read the hastily scribbled words.

_'…We hope you get a chance to read this before we are too far gone. I don't know how much you've seen out there, but in here it's pretty bad. Tsunade died this morning and shortly after the Infection broke out all over the village. We tried going to the Mountain, but by then it was too late. Everything was too chaotic. Those who did make it to the tunnels panicked and closed them too soon. Or maybe too late, we think Infection broke out there, too…_

_'Which is why we're leaving. As many people as will follow, we're taking outside the Wall. We won't open the gates, so the Infection here shouldn't spread. We're going south, to Suna. We haven't heard from them at all, and Shikamaru thinks they might be safe. I don't know about that, but it's worth a shot. We'll leave markers for you to follow, no matter where we go. _

_'I'm sure I don't have to tell you this, but if you see any others, stick together. Find us._

_'We'll be waiting. _

_'-Sakura.'_

The tremor in Tenten's hands had steadily worsened. As she read the last lines, scribbled even faster—if possible—than the rest, her fingers clenched spasmodically, crushing the edges of the paper. Lee flinched. Neji just closed his eyes.

_'P.S. Please hurry, Gai-sensei. She's trying not to show it, but Shizune needs you.' _

She wasn't sure this made anything clearer to her. Actually, she felt even more uncertain now than she had just moments ago. They had… lost? When they had left Konoha just two weeks ago, everything had been so normal, so safe. Now it was all gone. Their home. Their families…? They had just abandoned them?

But _they_ hadn't been forgotten.

She tried telling herself that there was hope. That _someone_ had remembered to write them, to leave marks for them, to _wait_ for them. Someone had at least tried to tell them what was happening and where to go and what to do. Someone more than just Sakura. Maybe that someone was family? Maybe it wasn't _everything_ gone…?

But even so, Tenten's thoughts shifted to the dark side of the situation again, her eyes still on those last words…

How could she tell her that he was gone?

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Ooo, plot twist. :p Sorry, but I _did_ warn you last chapter that things were going to get a little confusing for a brief while... ^^' Now, about those announcements:

1 - I'm terribly sorry, but once I post this chapter I'll be putting this story on hiatus. I'm sorry! It should just be until the start of Spring Break, right after mid-terms (mid-March). At the latest, I'll be tied up until the end of the semester (God help me if that happens), which would be early-May.

2 - I know it's terribly rude of me to drop that last bomb and then ask a favour of you, but it _is_ kind of important. Would y'all be so kind as to take a minute, visit my profile and take a poll I have there, regarding this story? I have the full explanation posted on my profile. Your opinion would help me write a great deal faster, though. ;p

Thank you, my dears, for your patience! (and your help?)


	9. Inferno

**AN: **At long last, my dears, chapter nine is finally here! I apologise for the abysmal wait for this, but it seems something has it out for this story. People tell me it's called "real life", whatever that is...

Anyways, I'd like to let y'all move on to the story, but there are just a few notes I'd like to mention first:

1 - the formatting of this story is intentional. With this chapter especially, you'll want to pay close attention to that. (Particularly the section marked with an astrisk (*) ).

2 - I'd like to send a huge shout out to my wonderful beta **CrazyInsomaniac**! You're a godsend darlin', you really are.

**Heads Up: **This chapter is something of a beast, in terms of length. If you like long chapters: consider it me making up for the huge wait? If you don't like long chapters: I'm so very sorry. In either case, I hope your eyes don't bleed trying to read this whole thing. ^^'

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Inferno<strong>

**Land of Fire – Road to Sunagakure**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

There was silence as the group sat in a loose circle, drinking as much as they dared from their canteens. The air was tense as they all reflected on their last run-in with the Infected. This one had been a team of their own shinobi; each bearing the leaf insignia and each mindlessly trying to kill their former comrades.

There were only three of Them and the group of exhausted shinobi had dispatched Them easily, but the fight had taken its toll emotionally; the Infected ninjas had been no more than mere Genin…

As discreetly as he could, Naruto pulled the list of names out of his pack and inked out a few more on it. There were still 16 shinobi unaccounted for from Konohagakure, among them Team Gai. He sighed as he looked down at the list, then folded it carefully and put it back in the pack.

Across from him, Ino sat on a large rock resting her chin on her hand and staring blankly at the dirt in front her. She was tired and just wanted to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes she was presented with a stream of images that made her stomach roil. She'd recognized one of the Genin from their last fight—he'd been in the flower shop last week, buying a simple bouquet for his teammate. She could even remember what flowers he'd bought. Roses. The kid had blushed and stammered when she'd asked about them, refusing to make eye contact with her.

Ino's lips twitched in a brief smile at the memory; then his face flashed in her mind again, red for entirely different reasons. She'd killed him… She swallowed the bile rising in her throat.

Chouji watched the horrified expression that flashed across his teammate's face and looked away. For the first time in his life, Chouji was hating their brief periods of rest. When they were moving, constantly on the lookout for more Infected people or other survivors (Kami, is that what they were?), he didn't have time to think. He could distract himself. When they stopped, though, there was nothing to stop the memories.

_His mother, screaming._ _Shikamaru, barking orders. _Lamely, he pulled at the grass beside him. _His father, saying he'd hold them off._ He twirled the pieces of long grass between his fingers. _Ino, crying._ _Moaning._ He twisted sharply, ripping the green blades. _Blood._ He shredded them into as many tiny pieces as he could. _Inoichi-san, moaning._ He threw the fragments back to the ground. _Running. Fighting._

And that was all they had done since...

Kiba was stroking Akamaru's head absent-mindedly. The dog lay on the ground in front of him, resting his head on Kiba's bruised and slightly swollen knee. He grimaced as he noticed how the blood was beginning to stain Akamaru's white paws. They were both restless, and he was doing little to try and hide it. It was stupid of them to stay in one place for so long, especially on the ground. What did he care if his behavior annoyed the others, as long as they survived? But at this rate, they weren't going to do even that.

Sakura leaned against the tree, bracing her hands on her knees and trying to ignore her thirst. They would need their water for the desert, so she would simply have to do without for now. She inhaled deeply, trying to steady her unusually shaky breath.

Why was she still affected like this? As a med-nin she had seen plenty of horrible things, seen plenty of people die, and she'd always been able to get over it. It was hard at first, but she'd learned to cope. And she'd never been _physically_ affected before. So what was different about this time? Was it simply the huge numbers?

The shock of losing their entire village would be enough to mess anyone up, she reasoned, shinobi or not. She cast her eyes around at the rest of the group and was not surprised to see many of them sitting unnaturally still—almost catatonic in some cases. But that was a normal response, completely expected. No one else was shaking. No one else looked like they were about to be sick. (Well, except Kotetsu. But that was also expected, all things considered…) No, no one else seemed to be as upset as she was.

So what was so different about this?

An image flashed in her mind, unbidden, and her stomach clenched at the sudden memory. She fisted her hands, trying to stop their trembling—she couldn't afford to fall apart now. Gritting her teeth, Sakura reminded herself of the basic shinobi rules.

_A shinobi must never show their emotions. A shinobi must never show their emotions…_ She repeated it like a mantra in her mind, using the harsh words to block out the equally harsh memory.

It was a cruel irony, really, but she found that seeking to be emotionless only reminded her of the person she wanted so badly to forget.

**Kirigakure**

**Days since Outbreak: 6**

The flames were still raging. They rose up and clawed at the dark sky, begging to be let loose from the confines of the city walls. Denied that freedom and caged as it was, the fire instead spilled upward, hurling up massive clouds of heavy, greasy blackness and spitting out a rain of ash onto the surrounding forest. It was impossible to tell if the artificial night was from smoke or the clouds that were ever-present in their country.

The air was hot and dry and difficult to breathe for bodies so accustomed to the cool, thick air that came with island life.

Around them, the world began to lose all its colour; the fire slowly consumed everything they had ever known. Their home, crowded and crazy and cruel as it had been, was eaten up by the blindingly bright blaze, the red light it gave off bleeding across the land. The sky, a brightness they had always taken for granted, was choked and blotted out by clouds of smoke, the inky blackness surrounding and smothering them. The forest, once green and vibrant despite its sparse life, was suffocating beneath the heavy blanket of ash, obscuring the ground and trees and small tent and everything else the red light touched.

The entire world became no more than the blackness above, the white below, and the red between. Always, always the red.

But nothing else—not anymore. Not since their fire.

**Land of Fire – Road to Sunagakure**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

Kotetsu leaned against a tree, the rough bark pressing painfully into his bruised back—not that he cared. The ache in his chest had long since blocked out physical pain. With blank eyes trained on the trees across the narrow path, he idly wondered if he would ever be rid of this all-consuming soreness.

His eyes burned from tears and lack of sleep, but he refused to close them. _Moaning. _He couldn't—not without seeing things he never wanted to see again._ Screaming._ Things he wished so desperately to un-see._ Shouting._ But the sounds replayed themselves in his mind, over and over again, never giving him a moment's peace. _"We have to go!" _Kotetsu's heart twinged, the voice sounding so close that he was almost convinced it was real. _"Kotetsu-kun, he's gone. Let him go!" _

_What do they know?_ He thought bitterly, chewing the inside of his lip. _Let him go?_ His chest constricted painfully at the thought. _I could never… _

Shikamaru sat awkwardly in the center of the group, trying to split his attention between planning their next steps and the squirming child in his lap. How could he possibly be so troublesome, even while sleeping? Although Shikamaru supposed he shouldn't complain—it was nearly impossible to get the little urchin to sleep in the first place. How had Kurenai ever managed him on her own?

His stiffened the instant he thought of her, a pang of regret flooding him. How could he have forgotten her, even for so brief a moment?

The small boy wiggled again, snuggling into Shikamaru's chest and burying his face in his shirt. Shikamaru stayed stiff and unmoving, afraid he had woken him up—which he had. After a few more moments of trying (and failing) to get comfortable the boy turned his head upwards, looking at Shikamaru.

"Mama?" he asked groggily, his nose wrinkling in confusion. His soft voice seemed incredibly loud after so much silence, and it drew almost everyone's attention. Shikamaru tried unsuccessfully to stifle his sigh.

"No, buddy." Asuma looked crestfallen. He was opening his mouth to ask something else when someone stepped up next to them.

"Hey, Asuma!" Ino smiled with forced cheer, bending down to their level. He grinned and called her name loudly, making everyone in the group flinch worriedly. She just chuckled softly and ruffled his hair. "Whadd'ya say we go play with Uncle Kiba so Uncle Shika can talk to Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru looked up at her gratefully as she held her arms out to the boy. For a moment he hesitated, glancing between her hands and Shikamaru, drawing back into the latter. "If you're good, he might let you play with the puppy…" she trailed her voice off, obviously baiting the boy. It worked, and he leaned forward immediately, allowing her to scoop him up and carry him away. As she left, she threw a knowing wink over her shoulder at her teammate, who smiled gratefully and moved closer to Naruto so they could figure out what to do next.

**Kirigakure – Outside the Wall**

**Days since Outbreak: 6**

Kazuta watched Kamiko as she watched the flames. Even from this distance, the red light allowed him to see her clearly. He watched as she stared blankly over the wall, ignoring the light flakes of ash landing on her clothes and hair; whether she didn't notice them or just didn't care he couldn't be sure about.

He worried about her—he could admit it to himself, if no one else. He worried how long she would continue pretending that everything was fine. How long she would keep acting like she didn't hurt just as much as the rest of them, maybe even more than they did.

He had been her teammate since they were Genin, fresh from the academy, but he had known her for many years before that. He had been there when, at the too-young age of 9, she had lost her father to the last civil war. They had watched together as her mother fell apart, recklessly throwing herself into missions at work, and drowning herself in sake at home. Just two years after her father, she'd lost her mother—what was left of her, anyway.

But to say that it had only been them—two against the world—would have been terribly inaccurate. He had his own family, after all, and she still had Toshio.

Kazuta had watched as she latched on to her brother, the last piece of her broken family, with every ounce of devotion she had left. And Toshio had returned her affections. Only 3 years older than she was, he had taken full responsibility for raising her. It was Toshio who had trained with her for hours, appeasing her obsessive need to know every move and technique perfectly. It was Toshio who had cheered at her graduation from the academy. It was Toshio who had coached her—and her new teammates, Kazuta and Masaru—through the rigorous Chuunin-exam preparations.

It was Toshio who had given up his own promising career as a shinobi, choosing to serve only within the city, so that he could always be home with her. And when she had begun accepting her own missions, it was Toshio who was at their small apartment to welcome her home every time.

And she idolized him for it. He was her oniisan and sensei, the only constant in her turbulent world, and nothing would ever come between them.

At least, that had always been the idea. But now, watching her watch the flames, Kazuta realized that 'nothing' was as simple as an infection, a knife, and a fire.

**Land of Fire – Road to Sunagakure**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

From his spot in the trees, Kakashi watched them over the top of his book. He'd given up trying to read a long time ago—for the first time in his life, he was unable to focus on the words long enough to derive any sense from them. Instead, he used the worn pages as a lame cover while he watched the other members of his group. And he found that the more he watched, the more they surprised him. He'd thought, after so many years working with them, that he knew them quite well. The past few days, however, their every action seemed designed to prove him wrong.

Of course, being their sensei for nearly their whole careers, Kakashi knew how Naruto and Sakura worked. He understood their relationship—odd though it was—better than they did themselves. He understood how they approached difficult missions and unexpected challenges. He knew they could both be relied upon in a tough situation (and they seemed to be having plenty of those lately). He'd known—and had for some time—that Naruto was a truly talented shinobi, and that there was every possibility that he would one day achieve his dream of becoming Hokage; and when he did, Sakura would still be there to both back him up and keep him in line.

However, he had _not_ expected it to come about so soon. Honestly, he hadn't thought the boy was ready for the task. Yes, he was talented, and yes, he cared about Konoha, but he was still very young and immature. But damn if he hadn't surprised Kakashi again—every moment since his unorthodox, hasty, secret and very informal inauguration, Naruto had proved that he _could_ handle this.

Of course he was struggling, but hadn't every Hokage since the Shodaime? And besides, given everything that was going on, it was really no surprise that he was having a rough time of it. Kakashi was beginning to see just how capable a shinobi he had become and he had confidence that Naruto would be able to pull them through this crisis just like he had every one before.

Sakura, on the other hand, worried him. Having lost so many people close to him, Kakashi was well aware of what she must be going through right now. The unfortunate reality was, however, that they were all going through the same thing. Hadn't they all just lost their village—their homes, their friends, their _families_? For every person in their group life was hell, and it didn't seem to be getting better any time soon.

Of the ten of them, he'd fully expected Sakura to be the most stable, emotionally (excepting himself, of course). As a Genin, her emotions had been something she'd struggled with greatly; she had a soft heart, and it hurt her to do the job they did. But because of that, she'd spent years fixing that problem; first learning just to cope, and then to shut down entirely. She'd learned how to keep her emotions under lock and key, and never let them interfere with her judgment or her ability to perform her job—which is why, more than any other person in their group, Kakashi kept a close eye on Sakura. He watched as she slowly unraveled, losing her grip more and more every day. He'd be lying if he said it didn't bother him, didn't hurt him, but what other option did he have? Until she quit pushing everyone away, he couldn't do anything _but_ watch and make sure she didn't come completely undone.

As for the others, he'd also known, of course, how fiercely loyal Shikamaru had been to Asuma (and, by extension, Asuma, Jr.) and he'd known of his promise to Kurenai. What surprised him was how easily the Chuunin—still just a kid himself, at only 17—had stepped into his new role of caretaker. Kakashi was also surprised to see that, for once, Shikamaru seemed to have no idea what to do; he'd taken responsibility for the three-year-old in Kurenai's sudden absence, and had so far done a good job—the boy was still alive at least—though he had no idea how to raise a child. It was lucky for him, then, that Ino seemed only too willing to help; at least she'd had some small experience with children before.

Truthfully, they all did their part to help with the boy—and that was also a surprise to Kakashi. Who knew that Kiba—loud, brash, and just-a-little self-centered—had a secret soft side that only his sensei's son seemed to bring out? And Hinata, timid at the best of times, was surprisingly good with the child as well. Perhaps it was her own upbringing or perhaps it was her close relationship with Kurenai, but the young girl already seemed to know just how to handle a child that was barely more than an infant.

Unlike many of the others, she didn't simply dote on him and try to keep him happy so he would be quiet—she truly mothered him. It was almost as though she'd taken it upon herself to take over her mentor's role of mother, much like Shikamaru had promised to take over Asuma's as father. And of course, wherever Shikamaru and Ino went, Chouji loyally followed. He may not have been the best with the baby—he was rather sensitive about what the boy called him—but he was always there, just in case.

Had they been in different circumstances, Kakashi might have even had a little hope for the boy.

**Kumogakure** **–** **North** **Quarter**

**Days** **since** **Outbreak**: **4**

Noboro hit the rooftop harshly and tried not to curse—he was sure that would bruise later. Casting a cursory glance over his shoulder, he didn't waste any time before jumping back to his feet and running across the impossibly long concrete slab. He kept his eyes trained on his goal: the slanted rooftop of the next building. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, even louder than Their moans. He ignored the flickers of motion at the edge of his vision—as long as he kept running, he could make it to the other side before They ever had a chance of catching him.

He kept telling himself that: just keep running.

_Just keep going. Speed is _your_ advantage, They can't catch you. Just keep running._

He slipped his hand into the pouch on his leg, pulling out the kunai reflexively. They were close enough that They had started reaching out with Their arms, fingers grasping at nothing. His footsteps pounded on the concrete as he started deviating slightly from his straight-shot path to avoid Them.

_You're almost there. Just a few meters more…_

He ducked, fingers brushing his head and sliding through his hair. On his other side, something brushed his arm and he struck out reflexively. He left the knife stuck in its neck, never even sparing it a glance.

But he was so, so close…

And then he was flying. The air pushed his hair back from his face as the grey concrete slipped away behind him. For the tiniest of moments the rush of wind replaced the roaring of his own breath in his ears. For just a second he was weightless and completely carefree—he was safe.

He'd done it. The shingles were rough on his palms as he slammed into the next roof and immediately started sliding downwards, but it felt like heaven to Noboro.

_Oh, Kami, I did it. I made it…_

He finally slid to a stop at the edge of the roof—near the rain gutters—and stayed there, holding on for dear life. He was waiting for the adrenaline rush to slow in his veins, or for his breathing to become more manageable, or for some other sense of normalcy to return to him. Behind him he could hear a strange mix of moaning and loud, bone-crunching thuds that he could only assume was the sound of Them toppling over the edge of the building, seeking him with such mindless intensity that They were killing Themselves (again) just for a chance (that didn't exist) to touch him. He knew the gap between the rooftops was too large for one of Them to ever cross, but still shrank as close to the rough roof as possible.

When the sound of moaning was only coming up from the ground—_damn it! Did we attract more of Them?—_he heard an all too familiar sound approach from behind him. Footsteps. Fast, heavy, running footsteps. Suddenly the rooftop shook as something heavy landed above him, then slid down exactly as he had, albeit with a little more grace.

"Come on, Noboro." She panted, trying to grin confidently but failing. "No time to hang around here."

And then she was gone, just as suddenly as she had come. Leaving no time for a tired whine or confident comeback or sarcastic remark about her terrible pun, she was scaling up the rooftop with apparent ease. Behind him, Noboro could hear the hurried footfalls of the others as they, too, tore across the concrete rooftop and headed for this one.

He gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply, steeling his body for more labour. His muscles were beginning to burn in protest of the constant running and fighting and climbing. He was starting to wonder what the point of all those years of training had been if he was this useless in a true emergency…

The rooftop shook again as someone else landed above him. They had used chakra—_who has any of that left?—_to stick the landing and move immediately up the roof, towards the peak Sayuri had already disappeared over.

With clenched teeth he reluctantly pulled his feet into a better climbing position and began pushing up the roof, ignoring the way his body groaned in exhaustion.

**Land of Fire – Somewhere in the Woods**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

"_Hurry up—don't make us wait forever._" Tenten read the brief note aloud, panting heavily. She braced one hand on the tree, her fingertips brushing the carving, and put the other on her hip, leaning forward as she fought to regain her breath. Despite her exhaustion, a smile tugged at the edge of her lips.

The carving was fresh. Very fresh—they were finally catching up.

**Land of Fire – Road to Sunagakure**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

Hinata did her best to ignore the child's loud voice and focus on her job—the first part wasn't so difficult, really, but the latter was giving her a lot of trouble.

When she wasn't thinking about how she wished Ino would be just a little quieter with Asuma, Jr. she was thinking about her own family. Where were Neji and his team? Were they alright? What about Hanabi? They were just Genin, how on earth were they dealing with this? What if they tried to go back to the village? Would she find the note she'd left? What if—

She shook her head almost imperceptibly and refocused. Now was not the time to be worried with vague 'what ifs'—she was responsible for the safety of her entire group right now. She couldn't afford to be distracted. Truthfully, she was quite glad to be of some help to the others. She knew now that the Gentle Fist was useless in a fight against an enemy that had no chakra flow, so it was nice that her family's traits could be used to help as a look out, even if it was very high-pressure.

Her thoughts were shifting back to the child's cries again when she first saw it. At first, she wasn't sure she had—it was just a tiny flicker on the edge of her vision. But when she snapped into attention and really focused, with a direction this time, she saw it clear as day.

"N-Naruto-kun." She stuttered, surprised. Her heart gave a slight thrill and she could feel everyone's eyes on her immediately. "Something's coming."

** *Kirigakure – Outside the Wall**

**Days since Outbreak: 6**

**Kamiko stared ahead, unseeing. Though she was supposed to be on watch, her mind was nowhere near protecting the remnants of her village; it was too preoccupied with the broken memories.**

. . .

"_Hey there! My name's Okamura Misaki and I'm your new team-leader!" The woman was young and so cheerful it was almost annoying, but Kamiko found herself liking her almost immediately. "We'll get to business in a minute, but first: introductions! What're your names?" To her right, Kamiko's neighbor and best friend answered immediately._

"_I'm Mori Kazuta! Are you a Jounin? Are you gonna teach us some awesome new techniques? Like that thing with the mist you just did! I wanna do that!" The woman laughed while Kamiko rolled her eyes at his typical exuberance._

"_Shut up, Kazu-kun." She muttered, though there was a faint smile on her lips. _

"_Sure, buddy," the woman, Misaki-sensei, continued when she had caught her breath, "I can teach you some of my tricks—but I have to warn ya, it won't be easy. You'll have to earn 'em first!" Silently, Kamiko hoped that the woman's intent had not been to scare him off; all such words would do was provide him a challenge. Sure enough, all he did was pump his fist into the air, yelling "Allllright!"_

_Chuckling, the woman turned her attention to Kamiko and the boy next to her. "What about you two?"_

"_I'm Yamanaka Kamiko." She answered automatically, not caring to elaborate further about herself. Her new sensei seemed to accept that, smiling and nodding before turning to the third new Genin._

"_Hamada Masaru."_

**(There was a loud cracking noise and a shower of sparks flew into the air just behind the wall. Another beam on another building was finally snapping in the heat of the blaze.)**

"_Oniisan! I'm home!" she called lightly, dropping her worn pack on the floor just inside the door. Her muscles ached from the longer-than-usual mission and she rubbed at the crick in her neck._

"_Hey!" Toshio rounded the corner, smiling brightly—albeit distractedly—and moved to give her hug, but she saw the source of his distraction immediately: an open scroll was in his hand, and he was still reading it as he walked. "Oh, whoa, hey!" he scrunched his nose and pulled back before she could actually hug him. For the first time, he looked at her properly._

"_What?"_

"_You smell awful. I'll get dinner ready while you shower." _

_She just laughed in response. "Gee, thanks."_

"_Anytime!" he reached down to pick up her bag before walking away in the direction of the kitchen._

**(Hot air stung her lungs as she breathed through her mouth, compensating for the way the cloth tied around the lower half of her face made it difficult to inhale.)**

"_I did it! Oh kami, I did it!" she cried, throwing her arms around her teammate and hugging them excitedly. "I made Chuunin!"_

"_Congratulations." She could hear the smile in his voice as he returned the embrace. "I knew you would." Over his shoulder, she could see Kazuta smiling at her too. It looked forced._

**(Sweat trickled down the back of her neck, but she hardly noticed.)**

"_You don't approve." It was neither question nor accusation. _

"_I—" Kazuta sighed. "I just don't think it's such a good idea to date a teammate, that's all." _

_She could hear the lie. _

**(The ash was now so thick her dark hair looked gray.)**

_Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. _

"_I'm sorry. He lost too much blood and the organ damage was extensive… There was nothing we could do."_

_Kazuta gripped her hand tightly. When the doctor walked away, leaving them standing alone in the hall, he pulled her into a tight embrace. But while his shoulders shook and she could feel dampness on his cheek, her own eyes remained dry. Her entire body was numb with shock. _

**(The ring weighed heavily on the chain sitting awkwardly on her neck, but it was buried beneath too many layers of clothing to remove.)**

_Her heart pounded heavily in her chest, her legs ached from the continuous sprinting. As if on autopilot, she followed in Toshio's hurried footsteps, pulled along by her hand in his. Behind her, she heard Misaki-sensei's heavy breathing. The moans were not far behind. They ducked into a short alley with a closed dumpster at the end. Kazuta scrambled onto it and pulled himself up onto the wall._

_Toshio practically threw her up onto the rancid smelling plastic. "Go!" She didn't even have time to think. Kazuta's hand was in front of her face and she gripped it tightly. Whether it was adrenaline or simply a lapse in judgment she wasn't sure, but she was quickly flying as he yanked her up onto the roof. She ignored the pain—she could deal with bruises later._

_Suddenly, Toshio was beside her and Kazuta was reaching down for Misaki-sensei. Their moans were painfully loud. Misaki and Kazuta both cried out, and she could see his body jerk forward. Instinctually, she threw herself on her stomach and reached out to her sensei. The older woman grabbed her wrist and together she and Kazuta pulled. _

_But she didn't move. Her lower body was already lost in the swarm of bleeding, reeking, writhing, clawing bodies. For the first time since Masaru, she saw tears on Misaki's face. The woman screamed._

"_No!" she cried out, refusing to let go._

"_GO!" Misaki-sensei ordered, her voice cracking. _

"_Niichan!" Toshio called from behind her. Misaki glanced between her students and forced a smile._

"_Don't you dare!" Kazuta ground out through his clenched teeth. Her fingers went suddenly slack against their wrists._

"_NO!" _

_She disappeared in the seething mass of bodies. _

**(The fire burned her eyes, filling them with unwanted water.)**

"_I'll hold 'em off." He explained, pushing her towards the window where Kazuta was standing. Inside, the room was dark—the power had cut off hours ago. _

"_What? No!" She pulled on his hand, trying to force him follow._

"_You need to keep going! Hurry!"_

"_So do you!"_

"_We won't all make it. I'll buy you some time!"_

"_Then I'll stay, too! I'm not leaving you to die!"_

"_Miko-chan…" his voice softened; downstairs, there was a crashing sound as the door finally gave way to the masses outside it. He put a hand on her face. "I'm already dead." Her eyes widened in disbelief._

"_What? No you're not, you're—"_

"_I was bitten at the warehouse." Behind her, she could just catch the sound of Kazuta's surprised gasp. Her eyes dropped to his leg and the bandage wrapped there. The crashing and moaning sounds were coming closer. _

"_But… no. No!" she tugged at his arm again._

"_Niichan, please." _

**(A single drop of water landed on the blade of her kunai, sizzling and steaming.)**

"_Let me do this last thing for you. I'm you're big brother—protecting you is my job." She opened her mouth, but no words came out. At length, with the moans floating up the stairs in front of her and Kazuta shifting his weight anxiously behind her, she nodded. She shoved her kunai into his hand, wrapping his fingers around it. He looked down, then his eyes flashed between the weapon and her face. _

_He wrapped her in a too-tight hug, crushing her too him. _

"_I love you, Kamiko." He whispered against her ear. She nodded, swallowing thickly and unable to speak. He pressed a kiss to her grimy hair._

"_Now go!" He pushed her back, shoving her towards her teammate. She stumbled backwards, but didn't—couldn't—argue. _

_Now that she was safely by his side, Kazuta threw open the window and crawled out of it, struggling to climb straight up the outside wall. She followed suit, looking back just in time to see the first pair of desperate arms reaching through the doorway._

_. . ._

**There was an explosion of sparks as the screeching sound of metal tearing against metal rent the air. The flames roared higher, briefly. The ground shuddered slightly, and what few leaves had survived on the tree trembled and rustled. **

**Somewhere inside the city the remnants of a building finally collapsed, giving way to the raging inferno.**

**Land of Fire – Road to Sunagakure**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

"You should be able to see it in a moment." Hinata's voice was soft as it ever was, but laced with urgency and determination. She lifted a hand to point in the direction from which it would come. "There." Behind her the rest of the group watched, straining their eyes to try and see it. Team 10 moved easily into position, preparing to execute their hastily-made plan.

The moment the bird was in sight, the atmosphere of the group changed. They seemed to collectively suck in a breath at the sign of life outside their group. Hinata began to worry her lip. Naruto clenched his teeth. Kiba moved to his feet. They watched with baited breath as the tiny speck flew closer and closer. Kakashi shifted forward ever-so-slightly. Akamaru pawed the ground apprehensively. Sakura swallowed thickly.

The speck began to take shape, growing larger every second. Asuma, Jr. fisted his hands in Akamaru's thick fur. Chouji braced himself. Kotetsu dropped his eyes to the ground. They could just make out the creature's shadow, streaking across the dirt.

Shikamaru brought his hands together in front of his body. Ino copied him.

When it happened, it happened very quickly.

"Now!"

Shikamaru's shadow shot forward like a black arrow, speeding across the ground to overtake the bird's. The hawk stopped, freezing in the air. Ino slumped backwards; falling into Chouji's waiting arms. The bird shuddered and began falling. Shikamaru cast a quick glance at his blonde teammate. The others leaned forward in anxious anticipation.

The hawk screeched and Shikamaru released the jutsu. With a few awkward, furious flaps of its wings, the bird was able to right itself and swoop back into the air. Instead of flying off immediately, however, it curved its path into a large arc. Lazily, it began circling toward the ground. Chouji and Shikamaru both sighed in relief—the plan had been successful.

Naruto glanced between the three members of their team (one of them still collapsed against the others) with mild awe. Listening to them try and explain it he would never have believed Ino's plan would work, but after watching them… well, it was clear even to him that that was not the first time they had intercepted another village's hawk.

With a soft cry and a ruffle of its feathers, the hawk landed on a low-hanging branch in front of the group. Looking at it up close, Naruto swallowed nervously. The symbol on its tiny pack revealed that it was—as Hinata had said—from Sunagakure. The case was bound with a small tag reserved for only the most urgent messages.

With a strange sense of unease, Naruto stepped forward and removed the seal. Kakashi appeared suddenly at his shoulder, but waited for the young Hokage to remove the message himself. Inside the pack there was a single, tightly wrapped sheet of paper. As soon as it was unburdened, the hawk screeched loudly (they winced at the noise, Asuma, Jr. covering his ears) and flew off again. In his periphery, Naruto saw Ino shifting and sitting up.

With trembling fingers, he unrolled the message. Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. It hadn't been encoded. The other members of their group crowded around as he took a deep breath and began to read the letter…

**Land of Fire – Somewhere in the Woods**

**Days since Outbreak: 3**

It was Lee's turn to read the note—the others were too exhausted to. His tone was devoid of its usual youthful exuberance and, despite her relief at finding another note, Tenten's heart ached to remember her teammate's pain. For the time being, she had shoved her own aside; she could grieve when they caught up with the others and found out just what was going on.

"_News from Suna. Not good. Keep following. We camp at dusk."_

She shared a surprised look with Neji. There had been bad news from Suna, but they were continuing on there anyway? What could have happened?

**Kumogakure – North Quarter**

**Days since Outbreak: 5**

Fuyuki held her arms over her head and stretched the tense muscles in her arms and back. In the distance the sun was glowing dim and orange, hanging just above the horizon. She could see the city wall, just a few rooftops away from where they were now. If they pushed, they could easily cross the wall and set up camp before nightfall.

The thought alone made her legs burn. Stealing a glance behind her, she saw that the others—well, the younger ones, at least—were completely exhausted. The kid was leaning up against his sister and the two seemed to be holding each other up. The obnoxious one wasn't even trying anymore; he was lying face down on the small flat space above the stair house.

"Perhaps," the Raikage whispered beside her, startling her (though she'd never admit it), "we ought to stop for the night?" That, in Fuyuki's opinion, was the genius of the Raikage: he always asked for input, even when everyone knew the decision had been made. Sometimes, he even let you think it was your idea.

"If we start at dawn, we could still make it in time. Move fast enough and we should be able to make up any lost time, as well." she conceded. As always, Their moaning rose up from the streets below, masking their soft conversation. "Besides, I don't think they're in any condition to keep going; not without some real rest." He looked behind them as well.

"I think you're right about that…" he trailed off, and she suppressed the urge to ask him what he was thinking. "Yes, that sounds like an excellent idea." He raised his voice slightly, prompting the girl to raise her head to look over at them. He directed his attention to the group: "Let's camp here for the night." The siblings sighed appreciatively, while the one on the roof just lifted his hand lazily, giving them the thumbs up. Naoki smiled and stood up from where he was sitting against the stair house.

"Sounds great. I'll take the first watch."

_**Kazekage Tower, Sunagakure**_

_Tsunade-hime,_

_We are losing the city. We cannot hold off the sickness for much longer. We are attempting to evacuate, but it is impossible to tell the infected citizens from the safe ones. _

_They came from the desert—Iwagakure, most likely. We have no information about their condition, and very little to offer about the nature of the sickness. There isn't time to stay here any longer, though, and we sincerely hope you have already been warned prior to this letter. _

_It is the opinion of the highest officials remaining in Sunagakure that you close your gates immediately and heighten the guard—the infection is causing violent revolts._

_We have taken heavy causalities and are losing men quickly. We cannot continue this fight—we have lost most of our Jonin-level shinobi already. As I write, the decision has been made to abandon the city. All remaining shinobi will be given the choice to stay and fight for a damned city or to flee. I will lead those who decide to go myself, and we will make for Konohagakure as quickly as possible. I am sorry for this abruptness but I ask, as one Kage to another, that you grant us haven within your village during this crisis._

_We will be following this hawk immediately. We can think of no other way to handle this situation._

_Signed,_

_Rokudaime Kazekage, Subaku no Temari _

**Land of Wind – Somewhere in the Desert**

**Days since Outbreak: 2**

"You will look upon it and weep! Not only for the joy that your eyes could see it, but for the sorrow that you could not create it, no matter how you tried!"

Temari looked at the girl, only a few years younger than herself, as though she were crazy. And, to be honest, she looked as though she could be. She was standing with her back perfectly straight, holding out a stick in the air in front of her. On the tip of the stick was a single, golden brown, perfectly cooked marshmallow.

After a moment of stunned silence, the small rock ledge they were on suddenly erupted in laughter. The girl grinned and sat back down triumphantly—their group had been far too silent for her comfort.

Still chuckling, Kankuro leaned over and clapped a hand on her shoulder. "You know what, Reiko? For a squirt, you're alright."

She laughed lightly. "Uhm, thank you?"

They were seated around a small, glowing fire atop a small rock outcropping in the middle of the desert. The sun had just barely dipped below the horizon, and already the sand was lost in blue-black shadow. Beyond the circle of light cast by the flames, the rock was just as dark. Trusting the outcropping's steep sides to keep them safe, they left only one of their number on 'watch'—and she was sitting by the fire, toasting the marshmallows Kankuro had mysteriously provided.

In all, there were only five of them. The rest of Sunagakure's military had elected to stay behind and fight until the end. They had been unable to save a single civilian. Her first day as a Kazekage and already Temari had lost everything her predecessor's had worked for.

But she shoved such thoughts to the back of her mind; dwelling on them would only drive her insane. She chose to focus instead on the people in front of her. They were all that was left of her village, and she'd be damned if she failed them too.

Pulling her face into a smile, she rejoined the light-toned conversation.

**Kirigakure – Outside the Wall**

**Days since Outbreak: 6**

Ayumaru fidgeted nervously in the confines of the small tent. Above the crackling and loud pops of the giant blaze, there was no way in hell they'd ever be able to hear the Infected if They were still out there—and he wasn't nearly naïve enough to believe They were gone. Of course They were still out there, waiting in the vast expanse of kami-only-knows where for some unsuspecting person to stumble upon Them. Or to be stumbled _upon._

In this new world of brilliant darkness, nothing was as it had been before. This was the one situation they were truly unprepared to deal with: they had never been trained to fight for their lives against an already dead enemy in a world where their senses were useless. For in this world, sound was either tamped down by the soft, ashen ground covering or drowned out by a roaring that was at once more terrifying and more comforting than any sound he'd ever heard.

In _this _world, the only discernible smell in the air was the overwhelming, acrid smell of soot and smoke. Their world was being destroyed before their very eyes—how were they supposed to feel the tiny vibrations of an approach (human or otherwise) when the earth was constantly trembling beneath the collapsing city? The ash was now so thick that it masked even their footsteps—how were they supposed to feel Infected shambling toward them? And it certainly didn't help matters that the contrast between the glaring flames and the smoke they belched upwards was far too great for human eyes to handle; outside the tent, the world was either doused in brilliant red or blanketed in black—either way, he was left blind. They all were.

Blind, deaf, and unable to feel the world around him (or what was left of it). As a shinobi, the overwhelming feeling of helplessness was more terrifying to him than anything else.

In response though, he'd become hyper-aware of his own self. He could feel the weight of every single shuriken stashed on his person, of every scrap of clothing on his body. He knew the location of every scratch on him—without needing to look. He could feel the pulse of blood behind his bruises (and there were plenty of those). He heard his every heartbeat, felt his every breath.

He was loathe to admit it, but he could even feel his sanity slipping away, a little more every moment. Kami, they needed to get out of there. How much longer could this go on before he too was lost?

How long could the world burn?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> And there it is. At long last, our cast is complete. Before you leave, I have a heads up, a suggestion, and a question.

From here on out this story will have to be done on a chapter-by-chapter basis, which I really don't like. I prefer having written ahead, at least a little bit. This means things like "Sneak Peeks" and even the "Coming Soons" will probably be going away. I will, however, do my damnedest to update more frequently. I can promise y'all this, I won't abandon this story. It may take a while, but I will continue writing about zombie ninjas until I'm 50 years old if I have to. (It shouldn't take quite that long, though ^^' ).

_(Youtube) /watch?v=_ASpy-e2GfE _[It's pretty much become my theme song for this story.]

As you may have noticed already, the POV changes frequently in this story. Admittedly, this chapter was worse about it than others, but I'd like to ask y'all since you're the ones reading it: do you feel such changes distract from the story or make it difficult to keep up with what's going on? If it's not to much trouble, could you just tell me real quick what you think in a review? Thanks!

Also, a big thank you to those who took the poll. It really did help!


	10. A Note from the Author

**A Note from the Author**

Regarding some very important news.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the incredibly long absence. Life has been very busy for me lately and I quite simply don't have the time to write. Which is really what this note is about.

I promised I would never abandon this story, and I intend to keep that promise. Owing to some recent news about a very sudden change in my life, however, that will be very difficult. In short, I'll be leaving in a few weeks to be a missionary. My 'trip' will be more of a move than a trip, since it will last for 18 months. During that time, I will be completely unable to write. If I'm going to serve, I ought to do it wholeheartedly, right? Because of this, I will have to put a long term hold on this story. Rest assured, however, it won't be abandoned. I have a plan:

I will leave this story up while I am travelling. During that time, my sister has graciously agreed to take over this page for me, answering comments/PMs, that sort of thing. When I get back, I will not be continuing this version of the story. Instead, I will start over from the beginning, revamping the whole thing. That way, the whole story will flow better and be, in my opinion, a better story. I do not plan on making any major changes to the plot or anything, but I suppose I can't really make any guarantees about that since it will be so far in the future. ^^;

For now, please accept my apologies for this sudden and dramatic hiatus. I would also like to thank the many wonderful supporters I have had for this work so far. I can't tell how much it means to me to login to FFnet and see new readers, favourites, and reviews. I would especially like to thank those of you who have left reviews for me: **Fire'sTiger**, **Wild**-**Dog84**, **princessofd**, **Immortal**-**Puppet**-**Otaku**, **Amaya** **Sakaruta**, **kkbug33**, **Asteague**, **Sphinx** **is** **epic**, **the** **Zogg**, and all the anonymous reviewers (**TCMG**, **nartog**, and **Paco**). Your support really does mean the world to me.

I am so incredibly excited about this sudden turn my life has taken, despite the fact that it means I will have to put this story on hiatus. I look forward to what the next years have in store for me. I'll see you all in two years!

Love,

The RockBabi


	11. At Long Last

Dear readers,

Yes, the rumors are, in fact, true. I am back! I've had an incredible journey over the past 18 months, but the time has come to settle back down (kind of). Things are still hectic, so don't get too excited yet, but I want you to know that, starting tonight, I am picking back up on our little ninja zombie fest. As I mentioned before leaving, I am planning a major overhaul of all the writing however, so it will take a bit before I start posting again. I'd like to have at least 50% of it written before I start publishing it here, so that there is some backed up in case something comes up that makes it a challenge to write frequently in the future. I am hoping this will allow for a more regular post schedule than I've been on heretofore.

I am excited to be back to all this! Thank you for your patience through it all. As always, I love to hear from y'all. If you have any suggestions, now is the time to let me hear 'em!

Love,

The RockBabi


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